Batman & Benson
by Mcfergeson
Summary: Detective Olivia Benson goes to Gotham City to interview an important witness in a slave trafficking case that the SVU squad is working on. But once in Gotham City, Olivia finds herself caught up in an epic adventure with an unlikely partner: the Batman.
1. Chapter 1

**Batman & Benson**

**One**

**_"An NYPD Princess In Gotham City"_**

Captain Donald Cragen frowned when he entered the SVU squad room. "You still here, Olivia?" He glanced at his watch. "You're gonna miss your train!"

Detective Olivia Benson froze at her desk, startled. Her partner, Elliot Stabler, gave her a smug 'I-told-you-so' look as he sat across from her. Olivia had several last minute chores to do—mainly a few phone calls and some paperwork—before she left for Gotham City today, but she had ignored Elliot's repeated warnings to just leave everything for when she came back.

It turned out that it was just as well she did make a phone call to the Gotham City Police to confirm her visit, because the detective whom she was to meet at the train station down there—Detective Burt West—was called away on another assignment. And nobody there had any idea who Olivia was or why she was coming to Gotham in the first place. After she straightened everything out with the Gotham City cop on the phone, Olivia received a phone call from ADA Casey Novak, who said that Giles Neufeld, their prime suspect as the leader of the slave ring they busted, was untouchable due to lack of evidence. And now it looks as if the wealthy Neufeld, who managed to avoid capture, might skip the country.

'Well, we'll see about that,' Olivia thought, as she glanced at her watch. She saw she just barely had enough time to make it to Penn station, but only if she really hustled.

Olivia gave Cragen a sheepish smile as she quickly got up from her desk and pulled on her jacket. "Just running out the door right now, Cap!"

Cragen just shook his head as he went into his office.

John Munch looked up from his desk and asked, "Where are you headed to, pray tell?"

"Gotham City," Olivia told him. "That's where I finally tracked down Annabelle Justino, who may hopefully be our lead witness in the slave girls trafficking case."

Munch sat back in his chair with a start. "You're going to Gotham City?"

"Yeah," Olivia said. "What's so special about that?"

"Gotham City is the home of none other than the mysterious Batman," Munch told her.

"The what-man?" she asked incredulously.

"The Batman," Munch said excitedly. "A dark, demonic force that's reportedly been stalking the streets of that city at night." When everyone—including Olivia—merely gave him a blank stare in response, Munch added, "C'mon, haven't any of you been reading the papers?"

Fin Tutuola wearily shook his head at his partner. "We don't get the National Enquirer, or the Lone Gunmen, or any other of those extremely 'credible newspapers' that you get in your little world, John."

"For your information no less a newspaper than the New York Times just recently did a piece on the Batman," Munch informed him. "And a lot of extremely credible witnesses have sworn they've seen Batman—several of whom claimed that the Batman had actually saved their life."

"What's he supposed to be?" Olivia asked, smiling. "Moth Man's cousin?"

"No, he's actually an alien escapee from Area 51, right John?" Fin said with a broad grin.

"Fine, laugh all you want," Munch said, waving his hand. He glanced somberly at Olivia. "Just promise me that you'll be careful when you're out on the streets of Gotham City tonight, all right, Liv?"

"I'll be just as careful on the streets of Gotham City as I am on the streets of New York," Olivia promised him. She smiled when a thought occurred to her. "Should I be wearing a cross, John? Or maybe garlic would be better?"

"Keep a hammer and a wooden stake in your pocketbook," Fin jokingly said to her, "just in case."

Elliot leaned over his desk and whispered, "I don't mean to be a hassle, but you really should leave, Liv, before Cragen—"

No sooner did he begin to say the words than the Captain stuck his head out of his office and glared angrily at Olivia.

"I'm going, Cap," she assured him. "I'm going right now." As she walked past Munch, Olivia growled: "Thanks a lot, John!"

"Why is everything automatically my fault?" Munch said after her.

As she stormed out of the SVU squad room, Olivia heard Fin say, "Because you're so adorable, Munch."

**_B&B_**

Almost two hours later, Olivia resignedly stepped off the train onto the bustling platform of Gotham City's Union Station. She carried an overnight bag in one hand, and a sheet of paper in the other with the names of her replacement Gotham City Police contacts on it: Detectives Montoya and Bullock.

As she glanced around at the massive crowds, Olivia caught sight of an obese man who stared back at her hard. He looked like a hippopotamus in a rumbled suit, with the nasty attitude to match. There was something about the guy that rubbed her wrong—so much so that Olivia instinctively flicked back her coat, exposing her gun, just in case she needed to reach it quickly. But the man, his attention caught by something else, strode away from her.

A young woman of Spanish descent walked up to her just then and said, "Excuse me, but are you Detective Benson, NYPD?"

Surprised, Olivia said, "Yes, I am."

The woman smiled warmly as she pulled out a badge and said, "Detective Renée Montoya, Gotham City Police Department. I couldn't help but notice the badge and gun on your hip when you brushed your jacket back just now."

Olivia smiled at that. "You're very perceptive, Detective Montoya."

"Being perceptive goes with the job," Montoya said, "as you well know."

Olivia was startled when the enormous man abruptly lumbered right over to them. "Yo, Montoya," he said, a toothpick dangling from his lips, "I'm getting sick of waiting on this New York twit."

"Uh, Harvey…" Montoya began, as she anxiously held up a hand.

"I say we just leave now and let this little NYPD princess find her own way through Gotham City," the man said, sounding pleased with his idea. "You know those New York City cops always think they're God's gift to crime fighting. Well, maybe a night wandering through Gotham City's underbelly, facing some _real _crime, will soften this Benson babe up some and put her in her place. What ya think?"

"Harvey!" Montoya angrily said, as she gestured at Olivia.

The big detective finally took notice of Olivia. "Who the hell are you?" he asked dully.

"Olivia Benson, NYPD princess," she said sarcastically.

He grunted at her. "About damn time you showed up, Benson! C'mon, let's get outa this madhouse."

As he turned and lumbered away from them, Olivia glared at his broad back with intense dislike.

"Sorry," Montoya said with a shrug. "Believe it or not, but Harvey's actually a pretty decent guy…once you get to know him. I guess you can say he's quite a character."

Olivia had a few choice words to call Detective Bullock, but she decided to keep her peace for now. The slave trafficking case she was presently working on was too important to be ruined because of a few bruised egos between the police departments.

Olivia got in the back seat of the Gotham detectives' sedan, where she sat back and gazed at the cityscape—which was impressive, if a little overwhelming. Enormous buildings rose skywards to impossible heights amid humongous art-deco statues of weeping or praying figures. And on some streets the sky was blocked out completely by an inter-city above ground train platform. Although she was a life-long resident of New York City, Olivia still found herself inundated by this dense urban landscape. It was as if Gotham City had never heard of zoning laws, and had simply allowed everything to be built right on top of each other in a massive maze of ironworks, concrete and asphalt.

They had arrived at Gotham City Police Headquarters before Olivia was even aware of it. Bullock pulled the car into a parking garage, where he stopped before a large array of doors that had police officers coming and going. They left the car and entered the building, taking the elevator up to the 30th floor.

"We just gotta check in with the boss, first," Bullock told Olivia.

She had figured they were checking in with their departmental commander, a lieutenant or a captain, but Olivia was stunned when the elevator doors opened to reveal the office of the police commissioner before them. Montoya announced them to the secretary, who told them to go right on in. "Commissioner Gordon is expecting you," she said.

Olivia entered the slightly cramped office of the Police Commissioner of Gotham City with Bullock and Montoya. There were stacks of files and computer disks all over the place, along with newspapers, magazines, and loads and loads of books. All of this told Olivia that Gordon was no bureaucrat, but rather a hands-on commander. When the commissioner himself glanced up from the computer screen on his desk, Montoya made the introductions: "Commissioner Gordon, this is Detective Olivia Benson, from the NYPD's Special Victim's Unit."

"Special Victim's Unit?" Gordon said, as he rose to shake Olivia's hand. "That's sex crimes, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir, it is," Olivia replied.

Gordon was a thin man with graying brown hair and a mustache. The glasses he wore gave him an academic look, as if he would be better suited teaching a class in criminology. Yet the photos on the wall behind him revealed his police career, and it looked like a very busy and commendable one.

'This guy rose up from the ranks,' Olivia thought with admiration. 'He's a real cop through and through.'

Gordon gestured for Olivia to take a seat. "I understand that you were originally meeting with Detective West," he said.

"Yes, until I was told that he wasn't available," Olivia replied as she sat down. Montoya sat next to her, while Bullock stood by the window. "I hope there's nothing wrong."

"We don't know that for sure," Gordon said. "Because Detective West has been reported missing since last night."

That stunned Olivia. "I only spoke to him just—when was it—yesterday afternoon? We confirmed that he was to meet me at the train station here in Gotham today."

Gordon nodded his head, looking thoughtful. "May I ask why you're in Gotham City Detective Benson?"

"I'm working a slave trafficking case up in New York City. My partner and I busted a sex slave ring in Times Square a week ago, and we discovered that one of the people who might be involved, Annabelle Justino, fled here to her mother's house in Gotham City. I spoke about this with Detective West. He said he was going to take me out to her home to talk with her."

Gordon grimaced as he leaned forward in his seat. "Did Detective West tell you her present whereabouts?"

"He confirmed it for me," Olivia replied. "She's living at her mother's house on Pascal Avenue. He said he knew where that was, and would take me to see her."

Olivia noted that Gordon, Montoya and Bullock all exchanged a knowing look. "What does Annabelle Justino have to do with this slave trafficking case you're working?" Montoya asked. "You said she might be involved?"

"Well, she worked in the main office of a machine parts shop—which turned out to have been just a front for the warehouse where the girls were kept," Olivia answered. "We don't know how deeply she was involved, but it looks as if Justino may at least be a witness to some business transactions dealing with the girls. Has something happened to Justino? She hasn't fled Gotham City, has she?"

"No, she's still here in Gotham," Gordon said with a heavy sigh. "But she's not living with her mother on Pascal Avenue."

"Then where is she?" Olivia asked.

"Annabelle Justino is an inmate at Arkham Asylum," Gordon grimly replied. "It's an institution we have here for the criminally insane."

Olivia was shocked to hear that. Then a chill swept up her spine when something occurred to her. "How long has Justino been in Arkham?"

"The past week," Bullock replied. "She was admitted right after she went nuts and tried to kill her mother."

Olivia's stomach tightened into an icy knot. "But Detective West confirmed for me over the phone yesterday that Justino was still living at home with her mother. So either he had the wrong information, or—"

"He deliberately lied to you," Gordon said quietly. "And, if that's case, then Detective West might have planned his own disappearance shortly thereafter."

'Good God,' Olivia thought, as her heart sank. 'Just when Elliot and I were getting so close to proving Giles Neufeld is the real mastermind behind the slave trafficking ring, now we've run right into another frigging dead end!'

"Of course, one wonders about the coincidence about this whole thing," Bullock said.

"What coincidence?" Olivia asked.

Bullock came over and loomed over Olivia in a threatening manner. "I mean, Detective Benson, it's real interesting how West disappears right after you speak with him. Maybe we should be asking _you_ some hard questions about this case in the interrogation room!"

Olivia simply stared at him, speechless. 'They actually think I'm involved in Detective West's disappearance!' she thought, stunned.

**To be continued...**


	2. A Trip To Arkham Asylum

A/N: Since I forgot to do this at the start of the first chapter, I'll do this here:

Olivia Benson and all things Law & Order were created by Dick Wolf. They are owned by Wolf, and NBC/Universal, and I claim no ownership.

Batman and his exciting little world were created by the late, great Bob Kane. They are owned by DC Comics, which is owned by Time/Warner. Again, I claim no ownership.

I'm not making any money off of this story, it was written just for kicks and giggles.

I'd also like to thank everybody who was kind enough to review the first chapter. Much thanks, guys, I really appreciate it.

**Batman & Benson**

**Two**

**_"A Trip To Arkham Asylum"_**

Olivia got up from her chair and stood face to face with Bullock. "If you seriously think I had anything to do with Detective West's disappearance, then you're just as dumb as you look!"

"Insult me all you want, sweet cakes," Bullock retorted. "But we'll see just how tough you are after a few hours with me in the interrogation room."

"I'm no fan of Internal Affairs, but I've never been a dirty cop!" Olivia snarled. "One other thing, Bullock: you call me 'sweet cakes' again and I'll bitch slap you from here to the parking lot!"

"All right, that's enough!" Gordon ordered. "Harvey, back off!"

"Sure thing, Commish," Bullock said with a smile. "I'll be glad to continue this conversation with Detective Benson in the box."

"There's no need," Gordon said curtly. "I believe Benson. She's not involved in this mess. Harvey, Renée, give us a moment, please."

Montoya playfully punched Bullock' s massive shoulder. "You heard the man, Harvey, let's give 'em some privacy."

After the detectives left, Olivia sat back in her seat and regained her composure. "Thank you, sir."

Gordon came around and leaned against the front of his desk. "I became the Commissioner just over a year ago, when the Gotham City Police Department was known as being one of the most corrupt in the nation. There was a joke on the streets that if you wanted a cop in Gotham City, you didn't call 911, you simply waved a wad of cash and they'd stop by and do whatever you wanted."

Gordon absently reached for something in his shirt pocket, and then grunted in annoyance. "I keep forgetting that I quit smoking this week. In any event, I've spent the better part of my time these past few months cleaning up the department. And how I did that was by trusting my better judgment. I like to think that I have a very good judgment of character, Benson. When I meet an honest cop, I keep them close to me. That's why Harvey and Renée report directly to me, because they're among the honest ones that I've spotted in the department. You're one of the honest cops, too, Olivia. I could see that right away, even if Harvey couldn't."

Olivia felt her cheeks begin to blush with embarrassment. "I appreciate it, sir," she said softly. "Thanks."

Gordon grew very thoughtful. "We've been working on our own slave trafficking case here in Gotham City, as well. But so far we've haven't been able to get anywhere near the success that the NYPD has had with their case."

"You know, considering this recent development with West," Olivia began, "I can't help but wonder if there's a connection between the slave rings in New York and Gotham City. Would it be possible for me to still talk to Justino at Arkham Asylum?"

Gordon shrugged. "I don't know what her current condition is, but I don't see why you can't pay her a visit at Arkham, anyway. Harvey and Renée will take you out there. I'll call the administrator and let her know you're coming."

"Thank you, sir," Olivia said, as she rose from her chair.

"Anything we can do to help, Detective Benson," Gordon told her. "And if you need anything else, just ask. Oh, and detective?"

Olivia paused at the door. "Yes sir?"

"Harvey Bullock may be a real 'bull in the china shop' type of guy, but he's a good cop," Gordon said, with a twinkle in his eye. "So please find it within yourself to refrain from bitch-slapping him, if you would."

Olivia burst into laughter at that. "Yes sir," she said, smiling broadly, "I'll leave him alone."

**B&B**

Arkham Asylum For The Criminally Insane was a sprawling, gothic-style structure that was located in the rolling hills directly above Gotham City, about an hour's drive from the heart of the dense metropolis. Although it was as neat and as well preserved as other mental institutions that Olivia had visited, such as Bellevue in her own New York City, she couldn't shake the feeling—as she stood in the waiting room with Bullock and Montoya—that Count Dracula could have felt right at home in Arkham Asylum. The place seemed a little oppressive with its high ceilings and nooks and crannies that cast long shadows even in the middle of the afternoon. It was enough to make Olivia feel very uneasy, especially after she had to surrender her gun to the guards before entering the building.

The administrator was an African-American woman in her fifties by the name of Dr. Beatrice Solana. She greeted Olivia with a pleasant smile and led her and the Gotham City detectives down the hallway.

"Ms. Justino was in bad shape when she was admitted," Solana said, as she consulted a patient file. "She was extremely paranoid, and thought that everybody was trying to kill her."

"The people whom she thought were trying to kill her," Olivia said, "did she ever mention them by name?"

"No, not specifically," Solana said with a shake of her head. "She thought her mother had turned into a demon and was trying to tear her heart out. I'm told she caused quite a stir in her neighborhood that night."

"You ain't kidding," Bullock said. "I read the arrest report, and it took no less than four uniforms just to hold her down long enough for the paramedics to shoot her up full of happy juice."

"The strange thing is that Ms. Justino had no history of mental illness in her family," Solana said with a frown. "No history of schizophrenia. It's strange."

"She was in the employ of some pretty nasty people in New York City," Olivia told her. "They were trafficking in sex slaves, and were a very ruthless bunch, the type that would sell their mother if they thought it was worthwhile. Could it be possible that Justino is faking it?"

"She pretends to act crazy to get herself committed," Montoya said with a nod, "so she'd be safely out of the reach of her former employers."

"Exactly," Olivia said.

"No, take my word for it, Detective Benson," Solana said, "Ms. Justino is certainly not faking her ailment."

They paused at a junction which had the gate closed across the doorway. Solana used the wall phone to get the door opened. While they waited, Olivia glanced into one of the cells. She saw a young red-haired woman seated cross-legged on the floor of her cell, carefully and lovingly tending to a potted plant. When she glanced up at Olivia, she smiled.

Olivia smiled back in greeting—and then her smile faded when Olivia saw that the woman's eyes, lips and fingernails were all a bright green in color.

"That's Pam. She's one of our success stories," Solana said with a smile. She waved at the woman in the cell. "Hello, Pamela!"

Pamela gave a shy wave, and then she returned to nurturing her plant.

"Poison Ivy," Montoya said with distain. "That's the street name this crazy bitch chose for herself, and it suits her very well, too. She's truly poison."

"Forgiveness is a part of rehabilitation, Detective Montoya," Solana chided, as the gate finally opened and they stepped through.

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see how well you'd be willing to forgive after being shot by one of Ivy's poison darts, doc," Bullock grumbled.

Olivia did a double take at the sight of a trio of guards escorting a man in a wheelchair. At first she thought the man was an invalid, until she saw that he wore a straight jacket, and his entire body was securely strapped down to the chair. The three burly guards all wore riot gear, and were fully armed with batons and tasers.

'He must be a real dangerous one,' Olivia realized, as she instinctively backed away when the man was wheeled past her.

And then her eyes grew wide with shock when Olivia got a close look at his face, which was as white as alabaster. His hair, which was wild and unruly, was an unnatural green in color. When his unblinking yellow eyes locked on Olivia, the man's ruby red lips burst into a broad, horrendous grin that stretched from ear to ear.

"What's the matter, toots?" he asked in a leering tone. "Got an aversion to clowns?"

Just then he burst into a high-pitched, shrieking laughter that echoed madly up and down the corridors. In spite of herself, Olivia felt the little hairs rise on the back of her neck as that insane laughter seemingly dug itself right under her very skin and turned her blood to ice water

'Sweet Jesus,' Olivia thought, as she tried to get a grip on herself, 'I hope they keep that psychotic son of a bitch locked away in the deepest, darkest dungeon they've got here!'

Montoya, sensing her unease, reached over and gave Olivia a sympathetic squeeze on her arm. "It's ok, Benson. That crazed monster always manages to get to everybody."

"Thanks," Olivia said, with a curt nod. "Um, why do they let him wear that make up in here?"

"That's not make up," Montoya said, her voice flat. "That's his natural skin color. So is his hair."

Olivia blanched when she heard that. A part of her was curious to know more about that madman in the wheelchair, but then she realized that perhaps it was just as well to let the subject drop.

"Hey, how about _him_, Doc?" Bullock gleefully asked Solana. "Is _he_ one of your success stories, too?"

Solana shot Bullock a dirty look as she gestured at a door down the hall. "Ms. Justino's room is right over here, Detectives."

She produced the keys and they entered the room. Annabelle Justino lay in bed, clad only in a hospital gown, with her wrists and ankles strapped down with medical restraints. When she saw them approach her bed, the woman began whimpering as she frantically tried to escape her bonds.

"No, no, no," she said, shaking her head back and forth. "Stay away, you demons from hell! Stay away!"

"Annabelle," Solana said in a calm and soothing voice. "You remember me, don't you? I'm Dr. Solana. We spoke just this morning."

"Go away!" Justine cried, her eyes wide and frantic with fear. Her head fell back against the bed and she closed her eyes and prayed rapidly: "Our father, who art in heaven, hollowed be thy name…"

"Forget it," Olivia said with dismay. She stared at the poor woman and felt nothing but pity. "She's in no shape to talk."

"I don't understand it," Solana said, as she consulted the patient chart. "She was starting to make some improvement as recently as this morning. But now she's backsliding. The therapy, the medications, nothing seems to be working."

"What do you want to do now, Benson?" Montoya asked.

"Just get out of here," Olivia wearily said. She had all she could take of Arkham Asylum for one day. She wrote down her phone number on a sheet of torn paper and handed it to Solana. "I'm spending the night at the Hilton. If there's any change at all, would you please give me a call?"

"Of course," Solana agreed as they entered the hallway. "I need to run some more tests on her, in the meantime. I'll let you know if anything comes up in that, as well."

"Thanks," Olivia said.

Montoya was about to start down the hallway in the same direction they came from when Olivia grabbed her arm. "Wait a minute, Montoya." She gestured in the opposite direction and asked, "Can we leave through this way?"

"Yes," Solana answered. "But that leads through the kitchen."

"That's fine," Olivia said, as they all started walking. She glanced at Bullock and Montoya and added, "If it's all the same to you, I'd really rather not run into that creepy clown guy again."

"I hear that," Bullock muttered. "If I really wanna hang around lunatics, I'll start attending my family reunions."

**B&B**

When Olivia returned to her hotel room, she called Elliot with the bad news. "Damn," he said on the other end. "Justino's really off the wall, huh?"

"Yeah, and she's not faking it, either. At least that's what Dr. Solana told me. I told her to give me a call if there's a change in her condition, but I really doubt that's gonna happen anytime soon, El."

"I've got some bad news for you, as well," Elliot said. "Neufeld has left the country."

"Damn it," Olivia muttered. "Do we know where he went?"

"He's somewhere in Europe, that's all we know," Elliot told her. "We couldn't hold him, Liv. And we certainly couldn't stop him from leaving. So you'll be coming back tomorrow?"

"Yeah, and I can't wait!" Olivia said with a sigh.

She heard Elliot let out a chuckle. "Not too taken with Gotham City, are we?"

Olivia thought about for a second, gazing at the brightly lit Gotham skyline through her window as she did, and shook her head. "I never thought I'd hear myself say this, El, but I really miss New York. Maybe it was visiting that snake pit, Arkham, but I'm kind of rattled. This whole town's sort of creeping me out, y'know?"

"Well tonight you're a guest of that fair city on the NYPD's dime," Elliot told her. "So why not take advantage of it and sample some of the nightlife? Just relax and get your mind off of work for a while."

"I'm going to relax, but in my hotel room," Olivia said. "I've been on the run all day, and I'm beat. I'll call you before I leave here tomorrow if I don't hear anything from Solana by then."

"Ok, goodnight, Liv," Elliot said.

"Night, El."

She switched off the cell phone and strode out to the little terrace. Her room was on the top floor, and she also had a nice view of the night sky—unfortunately she couldn't see any stars thanks to the bright lights. Olivia leaned on the railing and gazed at the vast cityscape. She thought back to the raid that she and her SVU comrades made on the hideout of that sex slave ring. She recalled those poor girls, cowering in the corners, frightened of every sound, scared of their own shadow. Most of them were from overseas, illegally brought into this country to work sordid jobs for perverts with fat wallets.

'Some of those perverts are here, in Gotham City,' Olivia thought. She was convinced that there was some connection between the sex slave ring that they fought in New York City, and the one that still thrived right here. And the missing Detective West may well be the link.

Olivia idly thought about Elliot's suggestion how she should sample the nightlife, and realized that the last time she had truly done that—had gone out for a wild, kick her heels up night on the town—was back when she was still with Alex Cabot.

'Alex,' Olivia thought with a sigh. She grew misty-eyed as she watched an airplane fly overhead; its running lights twinkled in the night like multi-colored jewels against black velvet. She recalled what Alex had once playfully said, when they saw a similar plane in the night sky over New York City: "Oh, look, Olivia, a UFO! Let's make a wish!"

Olivia had stared at the woman who had been the love of her life for the past several years—they were also co-workers, Alex was the Assistant District Attorney attached to the Special Victim's Unit—and burst into laughter. "Since when do you make a wish on a UFO, silly?"

"Since right now," Alex replied. She had a little too much too much to drink, and now tried very hard to appear as somber as she could. "Let's wish for an end to all the pain and suffering that we see everyday in our jobs. Let's wish for all the scumbags who prey on innocent people to just disappear."

"That's a nice wish," Olivia said. "But if it comes true, we'll both be out of a job."

"Would that be so bad?" Alex had asked, as she gently caressed Olivia's shoulder. Maybe then we could both vanish as well, to a nice, quiet place where we could be alone and simply enjoy each other's company."

Olivia quickly wiped away the tear that trickled down her cheek. Little did Alex know then that she would be the one who would soon vanish—into the witness protection program, after becoming a target of ruthless drug dealers.

That was where she remained to this day, her whereabouts unknown even to Olivia. Wherever Alex wound up in her new life, Olivia hoped to God that she was happy.

Olivia frowned when she thought she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She glanced up at the row of stone gargoyle statutes that peered down at her—

—and was stunned to see one of the gargoyles was moving.

'There's somebody up there!' Olivia thought, as she pulled her Glock out from its holster. She brought the gun up just as she heard a swirling sound.

Olivia let out a startled cry as a rope of some kind wrapped itself around her wrists with blinding speed, and then it jerked her arms up and over her head, forcing her to helplessly drop the gun on the floor of the terrace as she was slammed up against the concrete wall.

Olivia glanced up and saw with shock that her wrists were trussed to a pipe that ran along the top of the wall. 'But how the hell did that happen? What the hell was—?'

"Oh, God," Olivia said in a hushed tone, a she watched a shadowy figure rise up on the roof across from her.

When the shadowy figure stood up, Olivia saw a pair of small pointy ears protruding from the top of its head. Then the thing unfurled its long leathery wings—the wingspan must have been six feet across—as it leapt down to the terrace.

As the creature stalked towards her, its wings now flowing out behind it like a cape, Olivia remembered what Munch said about the Batman. And she recalled how she had laughed at him.

Olivia was very sorry she had done that.

For all Olivia could do was stare wide-eyed in helpless terror as the Batman now loomed over her like some inhuman monster that had stepped right out of a nightmare.

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Getting To Know Gotham City's Nightlife

A/N: Thanks very much for the reviews. I always appreciate the feedback.

**Batman & Benson**

**Three**

**"Getting To Know Gotham City's Nightlife."**

Despite her fear, which threatened to send her full tilt into blubbering madness, Olivia tried to fight back as much as she could against the shadowy monster that emerged from the night and had so effortlessly taken her prisoner. Although her wrists were trussed up above her head, her legs were still free, and so Olivia tried kicking at the thing.

But the black-clad monster ignored her Judo kicks and stepped so close to her she could feel his breath. He reached out and grabbed Olivia by the neck. His grip was strong enough to hold Olivia, but not to strangle her.

"Who are you working for?" the Batman said.

Olivia stared at him, stunned. She had no idea that this…this _thing_ could talk. But as she gazed at Batman, she saw that the lower half of his face appeared human—then she quickly realized that it was a man wearing a bat mask. She was dealing with a person—an extremely dangerous and crazy person who was dressed up as a bat—but still a human being nonetheless.

"I know who you are," Batman said, his voice a dark whisper, "but I want to know why you're here in Gotham City. Who hired you?"

"Captain Donald Cragen!" Olivia blurted out.

"_WRONG ANSWER_!" Batman bellowed, as he pulled out a lethal looking blade in the shape of a bat. As he flicked it in his hand, it flipped open with a metallic ka-ching sound.

Olivia flinched as he swung the blade over her head, cutting the rope that secured her wrists to the overhead pipe. He hauled Olivia over his shoulder as if she was nothing more than dead weight.

Then he strode over to the edge of the terrace, and Olivia let out a scream of horror as he flung her over the side.

"_UGH_!" Olivia cried, as her fall was stopped in mid-air, the shock almost ripping her arms out of their sockets. She glanced up and saw that Batman held her with one hand out beyond the terrace railing by her bound wrists. Her feet dangled over a 50-story fall.

"_WHO HIRED YOU_!" Batman demanded. "Was it the New York gang?"

"N-New York Gang?" Olivia asked, dazed.

"You know damn well what I mean, the New York City end of the slavery ring," Batman snarled. "Did they hire you?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Olivia cried. "I'm a cop!"

"_NO YOU'RE NOT! _" Batman shouted at her. "I know the Gotham City Police Force backwards and forwards, lady, and you're not on it!"

"I didn't say I was a Gotham City cop!" Olivia screamed back at him. "I'm Detective Olivia Benson, with the Special Victim's Unit of the NYPD. And if you don't like that answer, you might as well drop me right now, you frigging nutcase!"

"That's all you got to say?" Batman asked, as his eyes narrowed.

"I am an NYPD detective. And that's the only answer you're gonna get from me," Olivia angrily shouted. "Because it's _THE GODDAMN TRUTH! _"

Batman stared at her, and for a very scary moment, Olivia thought he would simply drop her to her death.

Then he yanked her back onto the terrace, where she collapsed in an exhausted heap on the floor. Olivia felt the Batman rifling through the empty holster pack on her hip, which also contained her badge and ID. By the time she tried to wearily kick him away, he already had what he wanted and was looking through her ID.

"If you're truly a member of the Special Victim's Unit," Batman said, "then you've heard about the raid they made on the slave ring up there in Queens."

'He's still testing me,' Olivia realized. She shook her head as she sat up. "The raid wasn't in Queens, it was in Times Square. I know because I was there, along with the other SVU detectives and the SWAT team. You want the address of the place that we hit, too? How about the names of my fellow SVU detectives, while you're at it?"

Now Batman shook his head. Olivia was startled when he pulled out the bat-knife again, but he quickly pacified her by holding up a hand. "Easy, I'm just cutting the bonds on your wrists."

Olivia held out her wrists and allowed him to slice the ropes off of them. "Who the hell are you?" she asked, her voice unsteady.

"A friend," he said simply, as he placed her badge and ID on a table.

"You sure have a funny way of treating your friends," Olivia said tartly.

"I thought you were someone else, Detective Benson," Batman said, his voice tinged with regret. He stood with his head bowed in shame. "I'm very sorry for the rough treatment."

"Sorry? You're sorry?" Olivia said with disbelief. She looked around the ground for her Glock, and when she found it, Olivia aimed it at the Batman. "I'll show you sorry, you frigging son of a b—!"

But he was gone.

"What the—?" Olivia said in amazement. In the brief instant it took for her to grab her gun, the Batman had vanished as if he had never been there. She stood up and did a full sweep of the terrace, as well as her hotel suite, but Batman was nowhere to be seen. Holstering her Glock, she wearily sat down on the edge of her bed and put her face in her hands. Olivia still couldn't quite wrap her brain around the encounter she just had right now.

'He looks like a psychopath in a Halloween costume, but he knows what he's doing,' she thought. 'And he's fast, he's got great reflexes. But once he found out I was a cop, he left me alone. What did he say? He said he thought I was someone else. Who the hell did he think I was?'

Olivia took out her cell phone and began to call 911. But after only dialing 'nine' she stopped. She had just been physically assaulted, and she needed to report it. But what the hell was she going to say? 'Hello, 911, I've just been attacked by Batman'?

"Oh God," Olivia muttered, as she finished dialing. What she wouldn't give to be dealing with a nice, normal SVU case right about now. She was tempted to just pack up and return to New York right this very instant, but she was duty-bound to report this. Besides, there were too many loose ends in Gotham Cityfor her to ignore.

She gave the information to the 911 operator, who told her that the police would be there in a jiffy. Olivia only told the woman that a man, nothing more, had assaulted her. She figured she would give the cops at the scene more details. She switched off the phone and dreaded what she would tell the Gotham City police. 'It's bad enough to be telling this crazy story to fellow cops, but at least they won't be NYPD,' she thought with a measure of relief. 'If word gets back to my precinct about my run in with Batman, they'll never let me live it down.'

Olivia frowned when there was a knock at her door. At first she nervously thought it might be Batman again, but then she realized he didn't appear to be the type who entered a room through a regular old door.

"Who is it?" Olivia called, as she peered through the peephole.

A busboy stood in the hallway with a tray. "Room service," he called.

"I didn't order any room service," Olivia said as she opened the door.

Yet no sooner did she open the door than the busboy stuck a gun right into her face. Another busboy darted out from the side of the doorway and snatched Olivia's Glock from her holster.

"Get inside, now," the busboy with the gun ordered.

'This is just not my frigging night,' Olivia thought, as she reluctantly did what she was told, holding her hands up as she backed up into the room.

"Sit on the bed," the busboy ordered, "with your hands palms down on your knees."

For one crazy moment, Olivia was about to ask if there was something wrong with the hotel bill. After her weird encounter with the Batman, she figured anything was now possible. "Listen, I'm a cop—I'm with NYPD—and I just called the police," she told the men. "So if you're gonna rob me, you better hurry it up and get it over with before they get here."

"Be quiet," the other bellboy told her. He turned to the opened doorway and called, "She's secure, sir!"

"Splendid, splendid!" a short, squat man said, as he waddled into Olivia's hotel room. Barely four feet in height, he was impeccably dressed in a black suit and tie and had an umbrella in one hand, which he used as a cane. A black top hat and a monocle over his right eye completed his bizarre wardrobe. He smoked a cigarette on a narrow cigarette holder that was almost as long as his thin, pointed nose. "Ah, my dear Moiré, welcome to Gotham City!"

Olivia shook her head. "I'm afraid you have the wrong person, sir. My name is Olivia Benson, I'm a detective with the NYPD."

"Oh, yes, of course you are!" the little man said exuberantly. "And what a superb cover that is, by the way. Who would suspect you, of all people, posing as a cop! Wonderful idea my dear! Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

Olivia was taken aback by the three sharp burst of noises the man made; at first she thought he was having an asthma attack, until she realized that those noises were laughter—or at least this odd little man's version of laughter. Feeling completely baffled, she held up a hand and said, "Who are you and what do you want?"

"There is no need to maintain your cover with me, Moiré, especially since I know who you are and why you're here. But I find it interesting that you should have a little encounter with Gotham City's other distinctive resident, the Batman, shortly before I should arrive. Therefore, I'm now most interested in what you said to the Batman that made him release you."

"Like I just said to the busboys from hell right here, I called the cops, andthey'll be here in a few minutes," Olivia told him. "I called them just after my previous 'guest' left."

"Calling the police? How mundane!" the little man said with a frown. "I do believe you're losing your touch, my dear Moiré. In any event, perhaps it would be better if we moved this little chat to my more comfy abode, eh?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Olivia sat back when he abruptly pointed the tip of his umbrella right at her face. "Hey, whoa, watch where you point that—"

Olivia let out a startled cry as a thick gas shot out from the tip of the man's umbrella, flooding her mouth and nose and making it hard to breathe.

Suddenly the whole room began to spin as Olivia fell to the floor, coughing heavily.

'Oh Jesus, what did he shoot me with?' Olivia thought in a panic, as everything became blurry. She also felt very tired and sluggish, she could barely move.

The little man waddled over to Olivia's prone form and peered down at her. "Wrap her up, boys! We'll devour this little morsel at home. Don't you just love take out? Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

And that was the last thing Olivia heard just before she blacked out.

**To Be Continued...**


	4. Slaves

A/N: Once again, thank you very much for the reviews!

**Batman & Benson**

**Four**

**"Slaves"**

When Olivia awoke, she thought she had been asleep in the "crib" at the SVU, because the cot she lay on felt very uncomfortable. Even when she saw that her right wrist was been handcuffed to the metal frame of the cot, she assumed it was just another stupid prank that one of her fellow detectives pulled on her. Probably Elliot.

'Elliot, I'm gonna kill you,' Olivia thought, as she reached for the handcuff keys, which she kept on her belt.

But they were not there.

"What the hell?" Olivia muttered, as she gazed down and saw that all of her cop gear—including her gun holster and badge—were gone. And then her eyes grew wide with shock once she got a good look at her surroundings. Olivia quickly realized that she wasn't in the "crib" at the SVU. She wasn't even in New York City. The cot she lay on was in the center of a vast, empty room that was dominated at one end by a massive arched window with opaque glass.

"Oh Christ," Olivia muttered, as her bizarre encounter in the hotel room with the strange, squat man came back to her. "That creepy little bastard kidnapped me!"

Still clad in the clothes she wore when she was abducted, Olivia hoped her captors didn't frisk her too closely while she was out cold. She sat up on the edge of the cot and removed her left boot. When she shook it, Olivia smiled as a spare handcuff key fell into her lap. She used the key to free her wrist from the cuffs. Then, after putting the boot back on, she got up from the cot and trotted over to the nearest door.

Olivia opened the door just a crack and peeked out at a dimly lit hallway. It looked like the coast was clear, so she carefully left the room and made her way down the hallway, following a bright light at the end.

The hallway opened up to reveal an empty loading platform, but as Olivia walked out onto the platform, she heard the deafening sound of dozens of people all talking at once. She slowly glanced to her left, and saw the most horrifying sight in her life.

The platform connected to a massive storage area, where there were cages upon cages stacked atop one another, all linked together by a series of catwalks. And inside these cages were women. Olivia stared in horror at the poor souls who were locked up. There must have been at least fifty women imprisoned before her. They called to her, most in several different languages, yet she still understood perfectly what they all wanted: her help.

"Hey, you!" a burly man yelled as he came running up to Olivia. He wasn't armed, but he carried a wooden stick. "What are you doing out of your cell?"

Olivia let him get close, and then she feigned a weak punch to his face, to which he easily dodged—yet this maneuver allowed Olivia to get close enough to the man to bring up her leg and knee him hard in the groin.

The thug let out a croaked gasp as he doubled over in pain. This provided Olivia the opportunity to grab a metal bucket from the floor and bash him over the head with it. That put him down for the count.

Olivia heard a roar, and glanced up to see the imprisoned women were all cheering heartily at her. Apparently, their jailor was not well liked.

Olivia frantically frisked the unconscious man for keys to the jail cells, but could not find any. She stopped when she distinctly heard a woman's voice cry out her name.

'No that can't be right,' Olivia thought, as she gazed at the various women who shouted at her in several different languages.

And yet there it was again: out of all the shouting, a lone female voice called, "OLIVIA!"

It was a voice that she was intimately familiar with. A chill swept up Olivia's spine as she scanned the women in the cells before her. 'No, it can't be her,' she thought. 'She couldn't possibly be here!'

And yet there she was. A lone woman was waving frantically at Olivia in a cell near the ground as she called out her name once more. Her hair was now short and black, but that face—that lovely face—was still the same as Olivia remembered it.

"Alex!" Olivia cried, as she ran over to the woman.

Alex Cabot was both laughing and crying at the same time when Olivia arrived at her cell. As much as she wanted to hug Alex, Olivia settled for tightly grasping her hands through the cell's bars. "Alex, honey, are you all right?"

"Oh, God, Olivia," she said in amazement. "What are you doing here?"

"What am _I_ doing here?" Olivia almost laughed. "Alex, what the hell happened? How did you—"

Alex's eyes grew wide with terror as she stared at something over Olivia's shoulder. "Liv, behind you!" she hissed.

Olivia turned to see the squat little man leading a group of men intothe storage area, all armed with Uzi machine guns. The squat man waved his umbrella as if it were a sword.

"I'm coming back for you," Olivia firmly told Alex. "You hear me?"

"I know, just go, Liv," Alex said. "Save yourself, hurry!"

Uttering a curse under her breath, Olivia ducked into a narrow hallway in-between the cells. She climbed up a flight of steps to the second level catwalk in a frantic attempt to find an exit, but the place was a maze.

"There's no use in running, Moiré," the squat little man called, his voice echoing in the vast storage area. "You may have escaped the handcuffs, but you won't escape this room. There's no other way out. We're blocking the only exit! Waugh, Waugh, Waugh!"

'He still thinks I'm this Moiré broad,' Olivia thought. 'Who the hell is she, anyway? Was that who the Batman thought I was?'

Olivia ducked behind a support beam that was just barely wide enough to hide her. One of the female prisoners called out to her, but Olivia frantically waved for her to be quiet.

"Penguin," another man's voice called out. "I've checked her out, and she's not Moiré!"

Olivia peeked out from around the side of the beam and saw that a man clad in a suit had strode up to the squat fellow, whom he called 'Penguin'. Olivia supposed that the name fit, since the little guy looked somewhat like a penguin, thanks to his dapper black suit and waddling walk.

"If she's not Moiré, then who is she?" the Penguin demanded.

The other man held up Olivia's badge and ID. "Exactly who she appears to be: Detective Olivia Benson of the NYPD's Special Victim's Unit. I was supposed to meet with her earlier today before you ordered me to bail out."

'That's Detective West!' Olivia realized with a gasp. 'He is a dirty cop after all, working for the Penguin.'

"All this means is that our little guest isn't as lethal as we thought," the Penguin said. His cigarette holder shot upward as he grinned broadly. He pointed at a cell with his umbrella and said, "Bring that woman here!"

Olivia watched as two of Penguin's goons hauled a young Asian girl out of her cell and forced her on her knees before him. The Penguin grabbed the back of her neck with one hand while he held up his umbrella with the other.

"My dear Detective Benson," he called. "I know you're here, and I know you're watching. So please observe."

He flicked a switch on the handle of his umbrella, and a gleaming blade slid out of the ferrule. The Penguin held the blade to the frightened young woman's throat. "You have ten seconds to surrender yourself, Detective," he called. "Or else I shall slit this pretty neck of hers from ear to ear! One, two, three…_ten_!"

"WAIT! STOP!" Olivia shouted, as she stepped out from behind the support beam. "You've got me. Don't hurt her. I'm right here!"

"Get down here, now!" the Penguin ordered.

"All right, I'm coming," Olivia said, as she obeyed.

As she strode up to the group of men with her hands held up, Detective West pulled his gun out and held it on her.

The Penguin continued to grin malevolently at Olivia, as he shoved his young hostage to the floor. Then the young Asian woman cried out in pain as the Penguin gave her a wicked slice with the blade, creating a thin red line of blood on her arm.

"NO!" Olivia cried, as she collected the sobbing girl in her arms. She pulled out a wad of tissues from her pocket and pressed it against the girl's cut. "What the hell are you doing? I surrendered myself, didn't I?"

"You weren't fast enough," the Penguin said with a sneer. He pointed to one of his goons. "Get that one back in her cell."

The Asian woman was taken from Olivia's grasp and dragged back to her cell. Olivia had a chance to examine the wound the Penguin gave her, and it was a superficial cut, at least.

The Penguin gestured to another of his goons. "Ronnie, if you'd please?"

The goon named Ronnie grabbed Olivia by the back of the neck and shoved her into a kneeling position. The Penguin came over to Olivia and roughly stroked her hair. "Your resemblance to Moiré is stunning. But had I known you were a mere constable, my dear, I would have snuffed you out right in your hotel room."

"I would have gladly have snuffed you, as well," Olivia angrily shot back.

"Waugh, Waugh, Waugh!" the Penguin laughed. "My, but she's a feisty one, isn't she, boys? Being a member of the NYPD's elite Special Victim's Unit, I suppose a steel will is a requirement, eh, Detective Benson? I must thank you and your SVU comrades, by the way, for ridding me of that pesky New York slave ring operation. With them wiped out, I will now control the entire eastern seaboard. If only you could have nailed my stupid partner. However, he is but a mere trifle, and shall be dealt with in all good time—as will you, my dear Detective Benson. Detective West!"

West perked up just then. "Yeah Penguin?"

"Are you loyal to me?" the Penguin asked.

"You know I am, boss!"

A cruel smile slid across the Penguin's face. "Then prove it. Kill her. Now."

'Oh shit,' Olivia thought, as she watched West slowly pull his SIG handgun from his holster. Ronnie, the goon who held Olivia in place, released her and quickly got out of the line of fire.

"Noooooo!" a lone woman cried out from the cells. She began to sob hysterically.

Olivia was heartbroken when she realized that it was Alex.

'I'm so sorry, Alex, baby,' Olivia thought as she helplessly watched West aim the gun at her. 'I've found you, only to have you watch me die….'

She flinched when there was a flash, along with a loud explosion. But Olivia was not shot. Instead the Penguin and his men were thrown into disarray as the whole area around them erupted into thick white smoke. Olivia instinctively dropped to the ground to avoid being hit by any accidental gun discharges, and as she lay on the concrete floor, she glanced up at the ceiling, and saw a sight that was both marvelous and terrifying at the same time.

The Batman dived out of the blackness of the ceiling and down to the floor, his leathery cape unfurled at his sides like two massive wings. One of Penguin's goons begin screaming in horror as the Batman landed right on top of him, knocking him down to the floor with a heavy thud—and instantly ending the man's screaming.

As soon as Batman hit the ground, he turned into a swirling black tornado that attacked each of the dazed goons. One man went down with a crushing kick to the stomach, while another got belted in the face so hard he spun around before falling to the floor. Batman grabbed Detective West by the throat and threw him into another goon before he could bring up his Uzi.

Olivia was startled when something hit the floor in front of her with a loud jangling sound. The smoke had dissipated enough for her to see that it was a ring filled with keys. Seeing her chance to free Alex and the other imprisoned women, Olivia grabbed the keys and ran for the cells.

She smiled at Alex and joyfully held up the keys.

But Alex pointed in terror at something behind Olivia.

"UGH!" Olivia cried, as a muscular arm abruptly wrapped itself around her torso. She found herself in the tight embrace of the Batman. "What are you doing? Let me go!"

"Reinforcements are coming," Batman told her. "We've got to get out of here."

"No, I've got to save Alex and the others!" Olivia stared longingly at Alex, who was so close and yet so far. "ALEX!"

"Benson, we'll save them," Batman promised her. "We'll save them all, I swear! But right now, we've got to save ourselves."

He stabbed an arm right at the ceiling, and a rope shot upwards, the metallic claw at the end grabbing onto a piece of the support beams above.

"Hold on," Batman told her.

Olivia's stomach flew into her throat as they both shot up into the air at an amazing speed. She watched over Batman's shoulder as a squad of about twenty more of the Penguin's goons entered the storage area. They all opened fire with their Uzis in the direction of the ceiling, but Batman had already pulled Olivia behind a thick steel girder that provided ample protection from their bullets.

Once the firing ceased, Batman grabbed her hand and led Olivia across a catwalk to a doorway.

"You idiots couldn't hit the broad side of a pelican!" the Penguin roared with rage. "Arrrrrrrrr!"

Olivia's last sight of the Penguin was of him breaking his umbrella over his knee in frustration. If nothing else, it was a pleasure for her to see him so disappointed.

Batman led her out onto the roof, where they quickly ran to the edge. Olivia glanced over and saw a sleek black car parked in the alleyway below, yet there was no fire escape, or ladder, or any way for them to get to it.

Batman pulled out another gizmo from his belt and fired a metal hook straight into the street. There was a rope attached to it, and Batman secured the other end to the edge of the building.

"Oh no," Olivia said, once she realized what was going to happen. "No way in hell!"

"Just hold on," Batman said. "And close your eyes."

Olivia let out a cry of fear as Batman grabbed her and they both dived over the side of the building. Olivia clung to him, keeping her eyes tightly shut, convinced that they would be splattered all over the asphalt. 'I was saved from one maniac only to get killed by another maniac!' she frantically thought.

But she soon opened her eyes as they slowly descended on the rope, coming to a perfect landing right beside the car, which was a lustrous dark monster with plenty of curves and what looked like a rocket thruster sticking out the back. The roof slid open to reveal a passenger compartment for two people.

Olivia abruptly thought about making a run for it, she still didn't entirely trust this Batman—until she saw a band of Uzi-armed thugs emerge from a doorway down the alleyway.

"Get in!" Batman told her.

Olivia didn't have to be told twice. The roof slid over them, cocooning them within the massive automobile as Batman hit the ignition and the monster they sat in roared to fire-breathing life. Olivia watched in the side mirror as the goons fired in desperation at the car as it raced away from them. Their bullets bounced harmlessly off the car's armored skin.

'Alex!' she thought, with a pang of guilt. 'Oh God, she's still back there!'

She turned to Batman and said, "Don't you even care that he's gonna kill them all?"

"He won't kill the women," Batman firmly said. He never took his eyes off the road.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because they're his merchandise," Batman coolly replied. "Those women are worth more to the Penguin alive than dead. Trust me, Benson, he won't harm them."

Olivia shook her head and slammed her fists into the armrests of her seat as the pent-up rage and aggravation of the night's events finally got the better of her. "Never mind Arkham Asylum, this whole frigging city is insane!" she screamed. "You're all a bunch of maniacs in a goddamn freak show! The worse perversity I've seen in New York City is a frigging playground compared to this madhouse!"

"You may well be right," Batman calmly said. "Now please be quiet while I drive."

"Where are you taking me?" Olivia demanded.

"To a safe place."

"In Gotham City? There's no such thing," Olivia bitterly muttered, as she leaned back and placed both hands over her face. 'Oh God, Alex. I'm so sorry I left you," she thought. 'Somehow, someway, I'll find you again. Just please stay safe, sweetie…stay safe…please, please, please, stay safe….'

**To Be Continued...**


	5. Sanctuary In The Shadows

A/N: Thanks again to everybody to reviewed. I really appreciate it.

**Batman & Benson**

**Five**

**"Sanctuary In The Shadows"**

'It was the Witness Protection Program,' Olivia thought. 'That had to be it.' When Alex came out of hiding over a year ago to testify against the assassin who tried to kill her, she had been living in Wisconsin. When she went back in the protection program after the successful trial, the Federal Marshals must have moved her here to Gotham City. And, somehow, the Penguin captured her, along with the other women.

'So much for being protected,' Olivia ruefully thought. But did the Penguin capture Alex because he found out who she really was? Or was Alex merely another piece of 'merchandise' to him?

She glanced up when the car shifted gear. Olivia had been so lost in thought regarding Alex that she never even realized that they were no longer in Gotham City. There was nothing but blackness beyond the car and the lonely road that it sped upon.

"Where are we?" Olivia asked.

"Close to home," Batman replied. He glanced sharply at her. "Can I trust you to close your eyes from here on, or do I have to blindfold you?"

Olivia just gave him an exasperated look. Then she faced forward, closed her eyes and then covered them with her hands. "Happy?"

"It'll do."

"You sure girls are allowed in your little clubhouse?" Olivia sourly asked. "I wouldn't want to be breaking any rules."

"I'm making an exception tonight," Batman wryly replied. "Consider yourself one of the boys."

"Oh, gee, thanks," Olivia said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Olivia kept her hands over her eyes until she heard the car's engine echoing in what sounded like a tunnel.

"You can look, now," she heard the Batman say.

Olivia opened her eyes just in time to see Batman bring the car to a halt onto a wide, circular platform.

"Honey, we're home," Batman said sarcastically, as he flipped a switch on his armrest.

The roof of the car slowly slid back to reveal a massive cave with glittering walls made of black stone. The cave was illuminated by various hidden lights, which exposed a metal staircase that led from the platform the car was on up to a craggy outcropping above. Olivia did a double take when she noticed the penny. It was a humongous copper one-cent penny, about two stories tall, that leaned up against the wall of the cave. Next to it was a life-size mock up of a T-Rex.

As Olivia got out of the car, she was startled to see the floor was moving. Then she realized that the entire platform that the car was parked on was slowly spinning around 180 degrees, so that the car would be facing back out without needing to turn around.

'This is some set up,' she thought, impressed. She stared wide-eyed as several bats flew above her head, squeaking loudly.

"Detective Benson," Batman called, as he stood on the steps. "Come with me, please."

"Why did you bring me here?" Olivia asked, as she followed him up the stairs.

"To show you something," he answered. He walked over to an imposing plasma view screen that seemingly turned itself on once Batman took a seat before the console. Olivia saw there were several smaller view screens surrounding it, and they all showed various news channels and other assorted data.

As Batman typed something into the keyboard, Olivia glanced over her shoulder in amazement at what looked like a fully stocked crime lab, complete with microscopes and DNA analysis computers. 'Warner and Siper would be drooling with envy over the stuff he's got here,' Olivia thought with wonderment.

"Benson," Batman called. He gestured for her to come back over to the computer screen.

"Uh, yeah, right with ya." Olivia had been so caught up in this strange, astounding place that she momentarily forgot herself.

When she came over to the console, Olivia saw that Batman had a black and white photograph of her up on the plasma screen. "Where did you get that picture of me?" she asked, annoyed.

"Look again," Batman told her. "Look closer."

Olivia glanced hard at the photo, and realized that the signs on the street in the photograph were all in French. Although she was fluent in French, Olivia had never been to France. When she looked at the woman again, Olivia realized that it wasn't her, but another woman who looked remarkably like her. The resemblance was so close it was striking.

"Her name is Moiré Detune," Batman said.

"Moiré!" Olivia said with a gasp. "That was what the Penguin kept calling me!"

"Obviously the Penguin thought you were her—as did I," Batman added, "when we first met."

"Who is she?"

"One of the deadliest assassins working today," Batman replied grimly. "Born in France, she works mainly in Europe, operating out of Belgium. This is the only known photo of her when she was in Paris, taken by an INTERPOL agent who was later found dead. She's here, in Gotham City. And I believe her target is the Penguin."

"She's gunning for the Penguin? Why?"

"Because of you, Detective Benson."

"Me?" Olivia said incredulously.

Batman nodded. "When you and your Special Victim's Unit comrades took down that slave ring in New York, you basically wiped out that whole gang. Their ringleader, Giles Neufeld, fled the country—but not before hiring Detune to kill the Penguin. Apparently Neufeld believed the Penguin ratted him out to you."

"We never received any anonymous tips," Olivia said, uneasily. She had been taken aback to hear Batman speak of Giles Neufeld, their prime suspect. "How do you know so much about Neufeld?"

"I have very good sources," Batman told her.

"Did you dangle those sources over the side of a roof like you did to me?" Olivia asked tartly.

"Just trust me, Benson; Neufeld's your man. Whatever the reason behind the hit is not the issue right now. We need to find the Penguin's lair, and fast, before he ships those women away. My same sources tell me that will be tomorrow night."

Olivia shuddered at the thought of Alex and those other poor girls being loaded onto a ship like so much freight. "I thought we were just in the Penguin's hideout," she said.

Batman shook his head. "That was where he kept the women. But since I breached the security of that facility, the Penguin will be moving them to his lair for safekeeping. The problem is I don't know where that is. But there's someone who might."

"Who?"

"Moiré Detune," Batman said with a slight smile. He hit a button on the console, which brought up the interior of a lobby. "I've been tracking her since she arrived in Gotham. After my mix up with you earlier tonight, I picked up the real Moiré's trail again by retracing her back to this building, where she's rented an apartment. I found where the Penguin kept the women by simply following her there. Apparently she was going to try and kill him right there and then, but got interrupted."

"By you," Olivia said, "when you were busy saving my life, right?"

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Batman told her.

"I wasn't apologizing," Olivia said curtly. Then her tone softened. "But thanks, anyway…."

"No need to thank me, either." Batman fast-forwarded through video footage showing people walking in and out of the lobby of the building. "She hasn't returned yet. And there's not much we can do until she comes home."

"What will you do when you find Moiré, dangle her off the side of the roof, too?" Olivia asked.

"We all have our hobbies," Batman said. He glanced at her, and then added, "What brought you to Gotham City in the first place, Detective?"

"Police business," Olivia said tersely. "Look, thanks again for saving my life, but can I go now?"

"You visited someone at Arkham Asylum, today," Batman persisted. "What did that have to do with your slave ring investigation?"

Olivia simply folded her arms and glared at him. "Can I leave, or what?"

Batman stood up and faced her. When he did this, Olivia inadvertently flinched. Crazy or not, he was still an imposing figure. "There's a lot more riding on this case for you than you're admitting, Benson. It's personal, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

Batman typed in something on the keyboard, and Olivia was stunned to see the smiling face of Alex Cabot appear on the screen. But it was the dark haired Alex, and in the photo she was accepting an award from Commissioner Gordon. The headline above read: _Southside Angel Receives Commendation From Police!_

"She's Nora Bradshaw," Batman said, indicating Alex, "and since she moved here about a year ago, she became an influential advocate for battered and abused women in the Southern district of Gotham City. Bradshaw aided the police in their investigation of several kidnappings that occurred on Gotham's Southside, serving as an invaluable source for information, until she disappeared as well. I suspected the Penguin's men had abducted her. And I was proven right when I saw Bradshaw there tonight. I also saw you call to her, Benson—only you called her Alex. And she knew who you were."

Olivia ignored him; instead she stared at the screen, deeply moved at all that Alex had accomplished in her short time in Gotham City. 'No matter where she is, Alex is always fighting to make a difference, always trying to make life better for those around her,' Olivia thought. She glanced with pride at all the newspaper headlines on the screen, all of which referred to Alex as the Southside Angel. 'They're right, Alex, you are indeed an angel.'

"Who is she, Benson?" Batman asked softly. "What's her real name?"

Olivia steadfastly shook her head. "I'm never telling you."

"Why? Because she's here working undercover here for the NYPD?"

"No! Look…yes…she was someone I knew," Olivia admitted. "But she's now in the Witness Protection Program. Do you understand why I can't tell you who she really is?"

"More than most people, I can certainly appreciate the need for a secret identity," Batman said with a nod. "Say no more about it. But understand this, if you want to help 'Nora' and those other women imprisoned by the Penguin, then you've got to trust me, Benson. I saved your life, now please allow me to save theirs, as well."

Olivia stared at him uneasily. Then, with a glance at the ground, she said, "I was at Arkham today visiting Annabelle Justino. She worked for the slave ring up in New York. We think she might have just been working for the front operation, the machine shop, but we couldn't be sure. She ran from New York shortly before we raided the shop and came here to her mother's house."

Batman leaned over the computer and started typing again. "Annabelle Justino," he said, as he glanced at the information that came up on one of the smaller screens. "Yes, she was admitted for trying to kill her mother."

"I don't know what happened, but she apparently went berserk and stayed that way," Olivia told him. "Dr. Solana says she's not responding to any of the treatment they're giving her."

"Do you know if she has any history of mental illness?" Batman asked.

Olivia shook her head. "Dr. Solana didn't say she did."

"An abrupt onslaught of mental illness that doesn't respond to treatment," Batman said thoughtfully. "That sounds all too familiar. Scarecrow."

"Who or what is Scarecrow?" Olivia asked.

"He's an old enemy of mine, his real name is Jonathan Crane. He was a psychiatrist who found a way to prey on people's fear through the use of an airborne toxin which he infected them with."

"Nice shrink!" Olivia said with a shake of her head. "So in addition to the Penguin we now have to worry about this Scarecrow guy?"

"No, Crane's still where I put him, locked up at Arkham," Batman said. "But I wouldn't put it past the Penguin to have managed to get some of the Scarecrow's toxins for his own use."

Olivia thought back to when the Penguin knocked her out by spraying something in her face. "Um, I think he used that stuff on me. When the Penguin captured me, he sprayed me with—"

"It wasn't the same thing," Batman quickly assured her. "If it was, you would have felt the effects by now and we wouldn't be having this polite conversation. Excuse me," he said abruptly, "I have to go check on something. Please don't touch anything."

Batman got up and strode from the console, his cape flowing behind him. He walked to an elevator that was built into the craggy cave wall and pressed a button. The elevator doors opened for him. He paused and said, "Are you hungry? Do you want anything?"

'Just to get out of here and find Alex,' Olivia angrily thought. But she left that unsaid and simply shook her head in the negative.

Batman entered the elevator and rode it up to another outcropping above, one that had a railing running along the edge. Olivia watched him until he walked into the darkness, and then she ran over to the elevator and pressed the button.

Olivia cursed under her breath when the elevator would not come down for her. 'He's locked me up down here!' she angrily realized.

"We'll see about that," Olivia muttered as she gazed at the craggy rock wall. She normally went rock climbing at the gym. 'How hard could this be?' she wondered. 'Thing is, I don't have my climbing shoes with me.'

She solved that problem by removing her boots and socks. Barefoot, she easily tackled the wall, which was cold, but just craggy enough for Olivia to get a comfortable foothold. The climb up to the outcropping was just under one story; this was an easy ascend for her, and Olivia broke into a broad grin when she stepped under the railing and emerged onto the outcropping.

She glanced around and saw a doorway, through which she ran, entering a narrow hallway that led to a blank wall.

'Dead end!' Olivia thought, until she saw a switch in the wall at her side. When she flicked it, the wall in front of her slid open.

She stepped into an elaborately decorated room that was filled with antique furniture. A fireplace crackled at one end of the room. The Batman stood in the center speaking with a tall thin elderly man dressed in a suit. He had the dignified, yet subservient look of a butler.

Olivia let out a gasp when she realized that Batman no longer wore his cowl. As stared at him, Olivia was stunned to find the multi-millionaire playboy owner of the vast Wayne-Tech Industries staring back at her with an equal measure of amazement.

"Bruce Wayne!" Olivia said, stunned.

While Olivia and Wayne continued to gaze at each other in astonishment, the butler glanced at the both of them and, in a clipped, British accent, dryly said: "It appears I may have to set an extra plate for dinner, tonight, Master Bruce."

**To Be Continued...**


	6. An Alliance Forged

A/N: I wasn't planning on updating so soon, but my area got dumped with almost a foot of snow. There wasn't much to do, and I got tired of shoveling, so I came inside and finished this chapter. Enjoy!

My thanks once more to everybody who was kind enough to review.

**Batman & Benson **

**Six**

**"An Alliance Forged"**

"Uh, no, don't let me disturb your plans, guys," Olivia told the men. "I was just on my way out the door, anyway."

And with that, she broke into a mad dash down the massive room. Olivia was now grateful she ditched her boots, for she ran as fast as a gazelle in her bare feet. When she saw the doorway ahead of her, Olivia burst into a smile. 'I'll be out of this nuthouse in no time!'

Olivia's eyes grew wide with fear when she heard a loud swooping sound behind her, it quickly increased in pitch and then she let out a cry when a rope tightly wrapped itself around her ankles, pulling them tightly together. Her feet now abruptly trussed up, Olivia fell hard to the floor.

She glanced up and watched in terror as Bruce Wayne ran over to her. Even without the cowl, he was still an intimidating figure. "Ok, listen," Olivia quickly said, falling back on her police training by trying to regain control of the situation. "You're just going to make this situation a whole lot worse for yourself if you—wait, wait, just listen to me!"

"Is this really necessary, Master Bruce?" the old man asked, with a look of distain.

"Not now, Alfred," Wayne snarled, as he loomed dangerously over the helpless Olivia.

"Please don't do anything you'll regret later," Olivia added, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. "Just don't do anything stupid, all right?"

"It's too late for that," Wayne said, his eyes looking haunted. "I did something stupid when I trusted you! Do you know what I was doing up here? Trying to find the antidote for the Scarecrow's toxin, so you could give it to Annabelle Justino. But you couldn't stay put for just a few minutes, could you?"

"You can hardly blame her for this, Master Bruce," Alfred said softly.

Wayne stared at him as if he were insane. "What!"

"In her own way, Detective Benson is just as cunning, determined and resourceful as you are," Alfred told him. "You have only yourself to blame for underestimating her."

"Alfred, she knows everything, now!" Wayne roared.

"It's not as if we haven't thought about this situation before, sir," Alfred said. "We knew that there was always a possibility of someone discovering your alter-ego. And we both agreed that, should it ever occur, to deal with it in a careful, thoughtful manner. Might I remind you, sir, that your behavior so far has been anything but careful and thoughtful?"

Wayne let out a heavy sigh as he went over and stared contemplatively at the fireplace.

Alfred stood behind him and firmly added, "Or has your quest for justice gone to the point where we must now bring harm to the innocent?"

"No!" Wayne said sharply. "No, of course not, never!"

'Thank you, Alfred,' Olivia gratefully thought, 'for soothing the savage beast.'

Wayne came over to Olivia and flicked open one of his bat-knives. "My apologies, Detective Benson," he said, as he sliced through the ropes that bound Olivia's ankles. Then he helped her up to her feet. "It's just that…I'm not ready to stop doing this—not now, when there's still so much work to do. But I guess that's no longer in my hands. I'm at your mercy, now."

Olivia stared at him, still stunned at the revelation she had just made, when the belt Wayne wore on his Batman outfit started to urgently beep. "Damn it," he said. "That's the surveillance alarm on Moiré Detune! She's returned to the apartment. Excuse me."

He darted out of the room, grabbing his cowl as he did. Alfred came over to her and smiled benignly. "May I get you something from the kitchen, Miss Benson?"

"Um, no thanks," Olivia said awkwardly. Her cop training had been screaming at her to take command of the situation by placing Wayne and Alfred under arrest and calling the local police. But this was such a unique set of circumstances that Olivia wasn't quite sure what to do. Yet since she discovered Batman's true identity, there was one question that burned within her. She glanced at Alfred and simply asked, "Why?"

Alfred gave her a knowing smile. "You ask what drives a man, a multi-millionaire, no less, to stalk the night as Batman? To answer that, Miss Benson, I must show you something. Come this way, please."

Alfred escorted Olivia to another room in the huge mansion. It looked like a parlor, but it was spacious while remaining very cozy. 'This place is bigger than my apartment,' Olivia thought with amazement. 'Hell, it's bigger than my whole apartment building!'

Alfred gestured at the large painting of a family—a couple and their young son—that hung over the fireplace. "That's master Wayne, as a boy, with his parents."

"Do they know he's dressing up as a bat and stalking the streets of Gotham?" Olivia asked.

"No, Miss Benson. Master Wayne's parents are dead. They were murdered, shot dead by a petty thief named Joseph Chill after coming out of a movie theater many years ago. Master Wayne was with them. He was all of eight years old when he witnessed his parents get gunned down in the street."

"And this is why he became the Batman," Olivia whispered. She couldn't take her eyes off that smiling little boy in the picture.

"Yes, Miss Benson. I thought since you knew who the Batman really was, that it was best you knew the entire story…especially seeing how the two of you are so much alike."

Olivia stared at him, astonished. "What do you mean?"

Alfred gave her a kind, sympathetic gaze. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you also appear to be haunted by something in your past, Miss Benson. And that something has, perhaps, driven you to seek justice in your own way?"

Olivia thought of her own mother, who was raped by a total stranger, the man who was her father—a man whom she never knew, and didn't want to know, for she would probably kill him if she ever did meet him. Olivia recalled growing up despised and battered by her embittered, drunken mother, always desperately looking for a way out until she found the NYPD. Becoming a cop had empowered her, especially when she joined the Special Victim's Unit, and Olivia no longer felt helpless and vulnerable.

She glanced hard at the portrait of the young Bruce Wayne once again and instantly realized that they did have something in common after all.

"Are you all right, Miss Benson?" Alfred asked.

"Yes, Alfred," she said, giving him a smile. "I'm fine. And please, call me Olivia."

He nodded. "Miss Olivia, then."

Olivia chuckled as she shook her head. "No Alfred, just Olivia, please. And…yes, you're correct. Bruce and I do have a lot in common."

Alfred started to say something when he abruptly glanced at the door. The Batman—and it was the Batman, for he had put his cowl back on—stood in the doorway.

"Come with me to the Batcave," he grimly told Olivia. "We've got a problem. A big one."

**B&B**

Batman pointed at the screen just as a woman was seen entering the lobby. "There she is. The time's right, so she just came back after I assaulted the Penguin's warehouse."

Olivia sat in the chair, pulling her boots back on as she watched the main plasma screen of the computer. She nodded in understanding. "Since she knew where the warehouse was, you figure Moiré may also know where the Penguin's private lair is as well."

"Exactly. But here's the problem." He pointed to a shot of Moiré now walking out of the lobby. "She returned to the apartment and then left after barely ten minutes. I've now lost my chance at following her to the Penguin's hideout."

Olivia put her hand to her face when she realized that Wayne had been busy tangling with her upstairs when the alarm on his belt sounded. 'This is partially my fault,' Olivia thought with a pang of guilt. 'If only I had trusted him completely, and stayed put, we would have be able to respond in timewhen Moiré returned to her apartment.'

Alfred, who stood to one side of the console, cleared his throat. "I was wondering, sir: if Moiré assassinates the Penguin, wouldn't that be a good thing? That would certainly prevent the captured women from being shipped off, would it not?"

"If the Penguin gets killed, then so might the women," Batman said with a dour shake of his head. "Either Moiré, or the Penguin's surviving men might kill the women to get rid of any eyewitnesses."

"The Penguin kidnapped me because he thought I was Moiré, remember?" Olivia added. "So he knows she's coming, and might well be ready and waiting for her."

"His chances of surviving an assassination attempt are very good at this point," Batman agreed. "In either case, I wouldn't want to have to leave the lives of those women in the hands of an assassin."

Batman replayed the sequence, and Olivia stared at the woman as she strode out of the lobby. Moiré was clad in heels with a long black coat…and sunglasses, even though it was after dark. "How did you get this camera in there?"

"I tapped into the building's security system," he replied. "This link is from their lobby camera." Batman grew silent for a second. "I can raid her apartment, and hope to find some notes that she made indicating the whereabouts of the Penguin's hideout. But I won't have much time; my presence will trip the alarms—the place has motion detectors, the works. I'll only have a two or three minute window before an armed response arrives."

"That's not much time for a search," Olivia said. She continued to stare thoughtfully at the woman on the screen, the same woman who looked so much like her. Their similar features had caused Olivia much grief this past evening.

'Why not use that very same thing to our advantage?' Olivia thought, as her lips curled up into a smile. "Do me a favor, and run that bit again, where she leaves the lobby."

When Batman did what she asked, Olivia watched as Moiré strode through the lobby of the building. She nodded her head in greeting at the security guards in the booth. 'The guards know her,' Olivia realized, as she slowly nodded. 'Hot damn, this crazy idea might well work!'

"What is it?" Batman asked.

"What if I posed as Moiré?" Olivia suggested. "I could try getting through the security in the lobby without tripping any alarms. Then I'd have enough time to search for any clues."

"Absolutely not," Batman said, with a shake of his head. "Sorry Benson, but I won't allow a civilian risking her life like that."

"Excuse me?" Olivia said heatedly. "I happen to be a detective with the New York City Police Department, as well as a member of one of its elite squads. I'm not exactly a civilian here!"

"It's still dangerous," Batman insisted. "Besides, you don't have a key to the apartment. How will you get in there once you're past the front desk?"

"I'll tell the guards I forgot my key," Olivia told him. "I've been on undercover operations before where I've had to wing it. I'll just work my angle as far as it goes." She shook her head at the absurdity of this situation: here she was explaining her qualifications to a guy dressed up as a bat! "Look, you said yourself that we don't have much time here, those women will be sent off to God knows where pretty soon. If we're going to find out where they're being held, it has to be now. So we'd better get moving!"

When Batman glanced at Alfred, the butler said, "If she weren't a police officer, I'd be inclined to agree with you, sir. But Olivia _is_ uniquely qualified for this task."

"So, we're on a first name basis now, are we?" Batman said sardonically.

Alfred gave him a little shrug. "Seeing how she now knows who we really are, Olivia's practically become family."

Olivia almost blushed at that remark. If her boss, Don Cragen, was the father figure she never had, then Alfred was surely the loving grandfather whom Olivia had always secretly yearned for. The man was a total sweetheart, through and though.

"All right," Batman finally said. "But understand this, Benson: I'll watch your back when you're in there, but you do as I say, when I say it. And if I want you to bail, you bail out immediately, understood?"

"Will do," she agreed. A part of Olivia found it hard to believe that she was even working with this guy. But if it meant saving Alex—as well as those other women—then Olivia would work with the devil himself if need be. "I could use a gun, something small, which I could—"

"NO GUNS!" Batman abruptly shouted. Then he caught himself, and, in a calmer tone of voice, added: "I don't use guns, ever."

Olivia stared at him, stunned. She had worked with enough victims of crime to know a trigger effect when she saw it. With some rape victims, it could be a specific men's cologne—the one their attacker wore—that could send them into hysterics at any time. In Bruce Wayne's case, the trigger effect was almost literal, since he hated guns so much—due to witnessing his parents' murder—that even the mere mention of them antagonized him.

'He truly is a victim,' she realized, 'just like me.'

They had both been victims who fought back. She became a cop, he became the Batman, and in each of their new lives they had both overcome their dark past while being able to help people. When she got to the bottom of it, Alfred really hit the nail on the head before, both she and Bruce Wayne were indeed kindred spirits, and the sudden realization of that fact had so moved Olivia that it made her misty eyed.

"Sorry," Batman said as he glanced somberly down at the floor. "I guess it doesn't really matter now, since this'll most likely be my last case. Because once you turn us in—"

"No I won't!" Olivia blurted out. She stood up and firmly shook her head. "Look, no matter what happens, no matter what goes down later, I won't say anything about who you really are to anybody. I swear."

"Are you sure?" Batman asked, amazement in his voice.

"Yes, I am," she replied. With a quick glimpse at Alfred, Olivia added, "Let's just say I understand you a lot better now. And Gotham City really needs a dark knight like you looking out for it. So don't worry; your secret's safe with me."

"Dark Knight," Alfred said, with an approving smile. "Oh, I rather like the sound of that, sir! The Dark Knight of Gotham City."

Batman smiled slightly at Alfred. Then he glanced at Olivia and said, "Thank you, Benson."

Olivia was about to reply when she was startled to suddenly see the image of Captain Cragen on one of the smaller TV screens. "Wait! Can you turn up the sound on this?"

Alfred pressed a button that brought the image to the big plasma screen and turned on the sound. Olivia watched as Cragen, Elliot, Munch and Fin all stood with Commissioner Gordon in a hallway. The SVU detectives—especially Elliot—all looked very concerned.

"Commissioner Gordon," a female reporter yelled, "is it true that Detective Benson may have been abducted by the Batman?"

"There's no conclusive evidence whatsoever indicating that Detective Benson had been abducted by Batman, or anybody, at this point," Gordon said. "But the investigation into her disappearance is ongoing. Therefore, we have no further comment at this time."

A female news reporter then replaced Gordon on the screen. "Sources close to the investigation say that Detective Benson made an emergency phone call to Gotham City police shortly before she vanished from her hotel," she said. "These same sources say that while all leads are being looked into, the Batman remains the prime suspect in the disappearance of Detective Olivia Benson. This is Summer Gleason, reporting live for Gotham City News. Back to you, Dan!"

"What the hell!" Olivia cried, outraged. "They think you kidnapped me!"

Batman waved his hand."Forget it, I'm used to getting bad press. We need to get you a coat and shoes that match Moiré's."

"Since time is of the essence, I'll get the clothes, sir," Alfred chimed in. "One of your overnight guests left some things that should fit Olivia quite well."

"Thanks, Alfred." Batman turned to Olivia. "Go with him and get changed, Benson, while I get the Batplane warmed up."

"Batplane?" Olivia said incredulously. "You actually have a plane!"

"Why of course, Olivia," Alfred said, with a wry smile. "You know the old saying: Boys and their toys…"

**B&B**

Olivia stood in the parking lot, slipping her heels back on as she watched the Batplane slowly rise vertically above her. It had been awkward trying to climb out of the cockpit of the plane with high-heeled shoes, so Olivia removed them. She was stunned at how the plane, which was painted a solid black, disappeared into the night sky.

'And the damn thing's so quiet, too!' Olivia marveled. Normally, she wasn't a big fan of flying—she only did it whenever she had to—but Olivia could have spent all night riding in that plane.

"Benson, can you hear me all right?" Batman's voice asked in the earpiece that was fitted into Olivia's left ear.

"Yes," she replied. Olivia was also amazed at this walkie-talkie, which had the microphone built right into the earpiece. "Can you hear me, ok?"

"Affirmative," Batman replied. "Remember the code word, in case you get into trouble."

"'Fowl play'," Olivia said, reciting the codeword. She chose it earlier in the Batcave, not having a clue what word to use, until she remembered the Penguin and settled on that term.

"Ok," Batman said. "Good luck."

Olivia left the parking lot through a walkway and went around the corner to Moiré's apartment building. She stopped off in front of a store window to look herself over one last time. The coat was a perfect match for the one that Moiré wore on her way out—with the exception of the collar; Moiré's coat didn't have one, so Olivia solved that problem by cutting it off with a knife. Alfred even presented her with sunglasses and a matching black mini-skirted dress. They didn't know what Moiré wore underneath the coat, only that her legs were bare; the dress solved that problem.

Olivia put on the sunglasses and adopted the regal stride that Moiré had. She appeared to be a very arrogant woman, and Olivia lost herself in the part, holding her head up high as she strode into the lobby of the apartment building.

"Good evening, Ms. Tanner," the security guard said to her.

"Tanner is the alias that Moiré's using here in Gotham City," Batman's voice said in Olivia ear. "So far, so good, Benson."

Olivia gave him a nod as she strode past the security desk. She didn't know what Moiré sounded like, so she didn't want to risk speaking unless she absolutely had to. She walked up to the elevator and made a big deal of trying to find her apartment key. Then she made an even bigger scene of not finding it.

"Lose your key, Ms. Tanner?" the security guard asked.

When Olivia nodded in annoyance, the guard picked up a walkie-talkie and said, "Larry, come fill in for me at the desk while I take a resident up to her apartment."

'BINGO!' Olivia thought with a slight smile.

Once a replacement was found for the front desk, the security guard rode up with Olivia in the elevator. "Getting kind of chilly tonight, isn't it?" he asked. "Must be quite a shock, especially since we've had such a warm summer. I wonder if that means we'll have a really cold winter? I hope not, since I'm not a big fan of snow. I liked snow as a kid, but not now, when I've got to drive in it, y'know?"

Olivia curtly nodded, hoping this guy would shut the hell up. Luckily, he finally did. Once they got to Moiré's apartment, the guard opened the door for her. Olivia glanced at the alarm panel on the wall and was pleased to see it had been switched off once the guard swiped his card to open the door.

"You have a good night, ma'am," the guard said. "And don't forget your key next time."

Olivia just gave him the thumbs up sign as she slammed the door in his face. She wearily leaned up against the door and whispered, "I'm in."

"Very impressive, Benson," Batman's voice said in her ear. "The NYPD's lucky to have you."

Olivia removed the sunglasses and glanced around Moiré's apartment. It was a pretty lavish place, with fancy artwork hanging on the walls and a small library with several shelves filled with books. A laptop computer sat on a desk in the library. "I've found a computer."

"It may have a password lock on it," Batman warned.

"Wait, it looks like Moiré likes to make hand-written notes," Olivia said, as she picked up a small notebook. She flipped through the notebook until she came to a name. Olivia read it aloud: "Oswald Cobblepott?"

"That's the Penguin's real name," Batman said.

"With a name like that, I can see why he turned to crime," Olivia muttered, as she read through the notes. "She's got two addresses listed here. 357 Merrick Street…"

"That was the warehouse where he kept the women," Batman said. "We were just there. What's the other address?"

"313 Merlin Lane."

"Merlin Lane?" Batman said thoughtfully. "Yes, of course. That's an old umbrella factory on the other side of town. It's been abandoned for years."

"I've noticed that our boy the Penguin has a thing for umbrellas," Olivia commented. She gazed at the phone on the desk, and thought about the concerned look she saw on Elliot's face on the news earlier.

"All right," Batman said, "great job. I'll meet you at the parking lot."

"Yeah, just a minute," Benson said, as she picked up the phone and dialed Elliot's cell.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling my partner," Olivia told him. "I just want to let him know I'm all right."

"We don't have time!"

"It won't take a minute," Olivia said.

Elliot picked up on the first ring. "Yeah, Stabler."

"It's me, Olivia," she said.

"LIV!" he shouted. "Are you all right? Where are you?"

"Benson! Put the phone down now!" Batman's voice yelled into her earpiece. "Benson, you've got to get—"

It was too distracting to listen to the both of them at the same time, so Olivia pulled the earpiece out of her ear. "Yes, I'm fine, El. Look, I can't talk now, but I wanted you to know that I'm ok."

"Where are you?" Elliot asked.

Before Olivia could answer, she heard a loud noise from somewhere within the apartment. When she quickly put the earpiece back in her ear to apprise the Batman, Olivia heard him say, "She's back, Benson! Do you hear me? Moiré just returned to the apartment building! She should be up there by now! Get out while you can! Benson? Do you copy?"

Olivia's eyes grew wide as the lights abruptly came on in the library. She turned around and saw Moiré Detune standing in the doorway.

Moiré slowly removed her sunglasses and gave Olivia a chilling smile. "Well, well, well," she said, in a lilting French accent, "what's this little fly doing in my parlor?"

"Olivia!" Elliot said, his voice sounding worried. "What is it? What's going on?"

"Fowl play," Olivia said softly, as the deadliest assassin on two continents slowly advanced towards her.

**To be continued...**


	7. Deadly Encounters

We got more snow in my area. So that's as good an excuse as any to put up another chapter! Enjoy!

As always, my thanks to all of you who were kind enough to review my work.

**Batman & Benson**

**Seven**

**"Deadly Encounters"**

"Fowl play," Olivia said again, as she backed away from Moiré.

"I hear you, Benson," Batman's voice said in her earpiece. "I'm coming! Just hold on!"

In the phone that Olivia held up to her other ear, she heard Elliot say to someone: "Liv's with somebody, and she keeps saying 'foul play'. I don't think she's able to speak freely." After a pause, he added, "We're tracing this call, Liv! I'm at Gotham City Police Headquarters and they're tracing you right now! Just hang on, and we'll be right there!"

"Foul play indeed," Moiré said. She stared in fascination at Olivia. "My, my, what a gorgeous looking woman you are! But that's only fitting, since you look just like me!"

"Ok, listen to me," Olivia calmly told Moiré. "The police are on their way here right now."

She merely grinned at that. "Guess that means I'd better kill you right away, luv."

When Moiré reached for something in her pocket book, Olivia realized she was going for a gun.

'Can't let her do that!' Olivia thought. She dropped the phone as she picked up the laptop and flung it at Moiré. The assassin effortlessly sidestepped the flying computer, but in doing so, she dropped her pocket book.

Olivia kicked off her heels and dove at Moiré before she could reach for the pocketbook once again. Both women went crashing to the floor, where Moiré grabbed Olivia by the throat with both hands.

"I don't need a piece to kill a sissy little bitch like you," Moiré taunted, as she proceeded to choke the life out of Olivia.

"Benson, whatever you do, don't engage her in combat," Batman warned in her ear, "she's just as deadly with her hands as she is with a gun! Try and keep your distance from her!"

'Oh yeah, NOW he frigging tells me!' Olivia thought with disgust. She brought up her leg and kneed her assailant hard in the stomach.

Moiré's smug smile was replaced by a wide-eyed expression of pain from the blow to her stomach. Olivia took advantage of the momentary lull in her assault to ball her hand up into a fist and belt Moiré hard in the face.

The blow knocked Moiré off of Olivia, but it didn't knock the fight out of her. Moiré quickly got to her feet and with an enraged cry, ran right at Olivia once more.

By this time, Olivia had gotten to her feet and placed a hand behind a bookcase unit. Once Moiré was within range, Olivia abruptly pulled the bookcase down right on top of her. Moiré let out a surprised yelp as the unit struck her, pinning her on the floor.

Olivia bent down and felt the prone woman's pulse—it was steady. Moiré would live to see justice served to her. Olivia then picked up the phone and said, "Elliot?"

"LIV! Are you ok?"

"Yeah," Olivia said as she wearily leaned up against the desk. "Listen, when the cops get here, they'll find an unconscious woman underneath a bookcase. Her name's Moiré Detune, and she's a professional assassin who's wanted by INTERPOL. Make sure the cops on the scene know that, all right?"

"All right, got it." There was a pause. "Good God, Liv, what the hell's going on!"

"It's not over yet, El," Olivia said, as she looked up and saw Batman standing in the doorway. "Tell Gotham PD to get units over to 313 Merlin Lane. It's an old umbrella factory that's being used to house women who are being sold off as slaves. The man behind this ring is Oswald Cobblepott, A.K.A. the Penguin."

She removed the phone from her face and said, "The police traced this call, they're be here soon."

"I know," Batman said. "I saw them pulling up on the street below. Are you all right?"

Olivia nodded. "A little roughed up, but none worse for wear."

"Good. Why don't you stay and wait for the police, Benson. You've done more than enough. Thanks for the help."

"You're going to the umbrella factory, aren't you?"

Batman gazed at her. "Yes. The Batplane will get me there well ahead of the police."

"Let me come with you," Olivia said. "Please? It's Alex. She's still—"

Before she could even finish, Batman gestured out the doorway with one hand. "Then let's go, Detective."

Olivia brought the phone up to her mouth and said, "El, I'll see you later."

"What? Liv, wait, what are you—?"

'Sorry, Elliot,' Olivia thought, as the Batman led her out to the balcony. Olivia gazed in puzzlement at the empty air before them. "Where's the Batplane?"

Batman raised the wrist of his right gauntlet to his mouth and said, "Come here."

Once he said that, the Batplane obediently rose up in front of the balcony all by itself, without a pilot inside. Its port wing even hung over the balcony railing, allowing them to step aboard.

'Oh wow,' Olivia thought with wonderment. 'Now _that's_ cool….'

Batman lent Olivia a steady hand as she climbed into the passenger seat, which was directly behind the pilot's.

Once they were both inside, and the cockpit canopy sealed, Batman took the manual controls and the Batplane veered off into the night.

"This may turn out to be a fool's errand on our part," Olivia said. "I mean the cops will be there in no time."

"I hope you're right, Benson," Batman said. "But knowing the Penguin, he'll be listening in on the police band."

"Which will give him plenty of advance warning the cops are coming," Olivia said, horrified. "And by calling the cops, I practically helped the Penguin! Oh, God, what have I done?"

"What every good cop is supposed to do: you called in a crime," Batman assured her. "The Penguin may have the drop on the police, but he still doesn't know we're coming."

'Which means there may be more fun in store for us,' Olivia thought. 'And if there's more excitement to come, I want to be properly dressed for it.' She quickly changed out of the coat and skimpy dress and back into her jeans, turtleneck shirt, and boots.

Batman brought the Batplane to a perfect landing on the roof of the umbrella factory, just underneath the huge neon sign, which was unlit. When the cockpit canopy lifted up, Olivia jumped out right along with the Batman.

He held up a hand. "No, wait here. I'm going to do a bit of reconnaissance. I'll be right back. If anything happens, just stay in the Batplane, it's armored."

He stabbed a hand in the air and shot a rope into the grid works of the neon sign above them. Olivia watched in awe as Batman abruptly shot into the air, his cape flowing behind him like the wings of a great bat.

'He even knows how to make a great exit,' Olivia marveled.

Her amazement was abruptly shattered when the giant neon sign suddenly switched on, glowing as bright as the sun. Olivia saw a squad of Penguin's goons on the roof before her all raise their automatic weapons and open fire.

"NO!" Olivia cried, as she frantically climbed off the Batplane. She was about to break into a mad dash towards the armed thug that was nearest to her—until somebody pointed a gun right at the side of her head.

"Don't do anything stupid," the man, who was one of Penguin's goons, said, "and I won't ventilate your head, ok?"

'Shit,' Olivia thought, as she slowly raised her hands in surrender.

The other men ceased firing and stared up into the grid works behind the sign. "Did we get the Bat?" one of them asked.

"I dunno," another replied. "I don't see him! Maybe he fell over the side of the building."

"Well, we got her!" the man who captured Olivia called to his comrades. "C'mon, let's bring her to the Penguin!"

As Olivia was hustled downstairs, she anxiously hoped that the Batman managed to get away without being shot. The thugs brought her to a large attic room where the Penguin paced back and forth. They shoved Olivia to the floor at his feet. The Penguin thrust the tip of his umbrella under Olivia's chin, forcing her to get up into a kneeling position before him.

"You're becoming just as much of a persistent pest to me as the Batman, Detective Benson," the Penguin said in a dangerous tone of voice.

"You don't know how happy it makes me to hear that," Olivia said, giving him a defiant smile.

"Ever discourteous, straight to the bitter end," the Penguin said. He glanced up at his men and asked, "And what of the Batman?"

"We think we got him, boss," one of them replied.

"You think? You THINK!" Penguin roared. "I don't pay you imbeciles to THINK, I pay you to DO! And you don't THINK anything until you see Batman's rotting corpse on the ground! Then you KNOW you've got him! Arrrggghhh, what a bunch of IDIOTS I have working for me!"

"Life's a bitch," Olivia said coldly. "Ain't it?"

The Penguin just glared murderously at her. "West, get in here!"

When Detective West anxiously entered the room, he did a double take when he saw Olivia. "Yeah, Penguin?"

"Put her in the cell with the other troublemaker," Penguin ordered. "I shall enjoy watching them both squirm and writhe in pain later. Their excruciating torture will be the one bright spot for me on an otherwise dark night of despair."

"You got it, Penguin," West replied, as he pulled out his gun. "Let's go, Benson."

As West was escorting Olivia out of the room, the Penguin raised his umbrella like a general brandishing a sword before his troops. "Gotham City's Finest will soon be here, my boys! Let's prepare a little welcome for them, shall we? Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

"So, West, tell me," Olivia said. "What does it take to turn into a dirty cop?"

West, who walked right behind her, gave Olivia a rough shove in the back. "Just shut up and keep moving, Benson."

"Oh, that's right," Olivia said, sarcasm dripping with every word, "it doesn't take all that much to turn you, because you're already a whore."

"You stinking bitch," West growled, as he grabbed Olivia by the back of the neck, pulling her hair. It hurt like hell, but it was worth it for Olivia just to get West's goat.

He shoved her up against the wall where another of Penguin's goons stood guarding a door. "What's up, West?"

"Put this bitch in with the other one," West ordered. "Penguin wants to have some fun with them later, after we've evacuated to the new hideout."

"I hope we can get to watch!" The man smiled as he manhandled Olivia and tossed her into the cell. Olivia tripped and fell on the concrete floor.

When she wearily sat up on the floor Olivia glanced over and saw her cellmate, who sat on a cot by the wall.

It was Alex.

"Oh thank God," Alex said with a stifled sob as she came over to Olivia and embraced her tightly. "I thought you were dead when I saw you being grabbed by that Bat-creature!"

"I'm all right, sweetie." Olivia just held her tightly, gently rubbing her hand up and down Alex's trembling back. She wished that this moment would go on forever. Olivia never wanted to let Alex go again.

The moment was disrupted by the sound of men shouting in the hallway outside. "Let's go, let's go…move!" a man shouted. "Anderson, you and your crew take the south gun!"

'South gun?' Olivia thought with anxiety. 'Good Christ, what are they planning?'

"What's going on, Liv?" Alex asked, when they broke their embrace.

"The Gotham City Police are coming," Olivia replied, "and the Penguin knows all about it. He's ordered his men to get ready for them. How did you wind up in her alone? Where are the other girls?"

"They're fine…well, as fine as they can be, I suppose," Alex said. "Penguin transported all of us over here in a massive cage on a barge. When one of the girls got sick, he ordered one of his men to get rid of her. I stepped in to help her, and…" Alex let out a weary sigh. "Well, the good news is they didn't take _her_ away."

"But they took you, instead," Olivia said.

"The Penguin said he was getting fed up with me." Alex smiled wanly. "Can you believe that, Liv? I was actually getting on the poor guy's nerves."

"You always had that effect on scumbags," Olivia replied with a smile.

Their conversation was cut short when they overheard West speaking outside of their cell: "I'm gonna get some rope. These two will be easier to handle on the trip over to the new place if they're tied up. I'll be right back."

Olivia and Alex were both startled when the guard opened the door and grinned at them in an oily manner. "You two broads are gonna wish you'd behaved yourselves," he said. "Because now you're gonna get some of the Penguin's 'special attention' if you know what I mean."

Olivia's eyes grew wide as she noticed a large ominous shadow rise up in the hallway directly behind the guard.

"Oh yeah, you babes had better look scared!" the guard said, as he chortled with laughter. He never noticed the shadowy arms that stretched out behind him, reaching for him like some dark phantom. "Hey, maybe the Penguin will do the both of you at the same—AHHHH!"

The man screamed in terror as he was abruptly pulled backwards into the darkness.

"What the—?" Alex cried, her voice shrill with fear. "What just happened?"

Olivia placed an armed over Alex's shoulders and whispered, "He's here."

"Who?" Alex breathed, her eyes wide.

"The Batman."

West suddenly appeared in the doorway with a length of rope in his hand. He stared at the women in a dumbfounded manner and said, "Where's Phil?"

"He left suddenly," Olivia told him, deadpan.

"What the hell?" West said, annoyed. He shut the door to their cell and went down the hallway. "Phil! God damn it, you can't just leave them like this! Phil? Where are you?"

Olivia and Alex went up to the door and peered out the bars. They both watched as West strode into the darkness that lay beyond the last lamp in the hallway.

And then they saw West come running like a madman out of the dark, his face as white as a ghost, his eyes wide with horror. Olivia gasped when she saw the Batman leap out of the shadows right behind him, his arms outstretched, his hands like claws, his cape spread out like wings. He looked like a nightmarish, hell-born apparition come to life. Batman tackled Detective West to the floor, and then effortlessly dragged the man back into the dark by his feet.

"Mommy! West hysterically cried, as he was hauled off into the cold, unforgiving blackness. "MOOOOMMMIEEE!"

And then there was utter silence.

'Whoa, he's good,' Olivia thought, as she rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. Although she knew full well that Batman was all too human, Olivia still couldn't help but be impressed seeing him in action. 'He's really, really good!'

"Oh God," Alex whimpered, as she fearfully backed away from the door. "You know, Liv, when I first moved here, I heard about the Batman, but I never thought anything about it because I thought he was just an urban legend, you know? Like the killer crocodile in the sewer, or that flying guy they're always talking about in Metropolis, b-but I never…I never…oh God!"

"Hey, hey, hey, easy," Olivia soothed her, as she gently pulled Alex into an embrace. "Alex, it's all right. It's ok. He's on our side."

Alex broke out of their hug as she let out a startled yelp and pointed frantically at the door. "He's here! He's here!"

Olivia turned and saw the door burst open and the Batman entered the cell. "Detective Benson," he said by way of greeting. "Are you two all right?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Olivia said with great relief. "Thanks."

"Didn't I say something to you about staying in the Batplane?" Batman asked sarcastically.

"Uh, yeah, well, when I saw them shooting at you I, um, I thought you needed help," Olivia said with a weak smile. "Guess I should have known better. Sorry."

"It's the thought that counts," Batman said. "Come on, we've got to get going."

"You were right, Penguin knows the police are coming," Olivia said, as they ran out of the cell and down the hall. She and Alex ran hand in hand. "He's planning some kind of a welcome for them!"

"I know," Batman replied. "He's got machine gun nests set up all over this floor. I just took three of them out, and there's one more to go. It's down this way."

They ran until they all heard a man speaking loudly, carefully giving directions, through a doorway ahead of them. Batman gestured for the women to stay behind him as he slowly crept through the doorway.

"You actually know this guy?" Alex whispered. "Where did you meet him?"

"Speed dating," Olivia said jokingly.

When Alex gave her a puzzled look, Olivia simply shrugged. Then she gestured for Alex to be quiet as she grabbed her hand and led her through the doorway.

The doorway led to a catwalk that ran along the wall. Batman was nowhere to be seen here. When Olivia and Alex carefully peered over the railing, they saw a massive machine gun that was manned by a crew of four of Penguin's goons. One of the men was giving instructions to the other three.

"Now just remember," the leader of the machine gun crew said to the others, "no matter what happens, just stay calm. No matter how many cops you see out there, just remain calm, master your fear, and you will be—OHMIGOD!"

The leader had seen something above him, and when Olivia glanced up, she saw the Batman swooping down on the machine gun nest. He landed on the leader, knocking him to the floor, while the other men scattered in panic.

Alex looked horrified at the sight of the hand-to-hand battle that ensued, but she still watched in morbid fascination. Olivia understood full well. There was something lyrical, something poetic, in the way that Batman moved. One of the goons tried to take a swing at him with a metal bar, only Batman ducked at the last second, and the man wound up striking one of his comrades. As he reacted in horror at what he done, Batman belted him across the face with a hook that put him down for good.

When the whole machine gun crew was out cold on the floor, Batman took something from his belt and stuck it down the muzzle of the machine gun. Pretty soon, smoke began to issue from the muzzle.

'The gun's also out of commission,' Olivia realized with a nod.

Batman glanced up at them and gestured for Olivia and Alex to come down. As they did so, a two-way radio that was dropped on the floor during the melee began to squawk with the voice of the Penguin. "The police are here! Fire! Fire!" he ordered. "Why aren't you nitwits up there shooting at them! Aaarrrrrr!"

"Now to take down the birdman," Batman said grimly.

"He said 'up there'," Olivia told him. "He must be downstairs."

"It's through there," Alex said, as she pointed at the door at the far end of the room. "It's where they brought me when I was separated from the other women."

"Show us," Batman said.

Alex led Batman and Olivia through the door, which opened onto a platform that overlooked a water-filled canal that ran through the old factory. Olivia was startled to see all of the captured women were inside a massive cage that hung over the water by a steel cable. The women within the cage were frightened and huddled together in a tight group in the center.

The Penguin glanced up at them with a broad smile. "Ah, Batman! I was setting this up for the police, but it's just as well that you shall be the beneficiary of my labors."

"Give it up, Oswald!" Batman called to him. "This place is now surrounded by the police. Surrender yourself!"

"Surrender?" the Penguin asked. "Never!"

With that he aimed his umbrella at a section of the steel cable and squirted something on it. Olivia's eyes grew wide with horror when she saw the cable starting to smoke. "He sprayed acid on it!"

"Once the acid eats through the cable, these little girls go for a swim," the Penguin said, gesturing at the women in the massive cage. "Of course the cage will sink straight to the bottom, which won't give these ladies much time to take a breath, much less do the doggy paddle. The choice is yours, Batman; you can either chase me, or save these poor ladies from the drink. Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

**To Be Continued...**


	8. Resolution

A/N: Once more, thank you for all the great reviews. I really appreciate them.

**Batman & Benson**

**Eight**

**"Resolution"**

Olivia stared in terror as the cable, weakened by the blast of acid that the Penguin sprayed on it, let out an audible groan as it began to snap. The captured women all screamed, horrified, as the cage they were in abruptly jolted from the shock of the cable rapidly losing its strength. The cage now hung barely three feet above the water.

As the Penguin waddled away, his taunting laughter echoing off the walls, Batman raised his right wrist to his mouth and said, "Come here."

Just then the Batplane smashed its way through the row of massive windows along the top of the wall at the far end of the room.

'Jeez, even his damn vehicles know how to make a grand entrance,' Olivia thought, amazed.

"Um, I don't think there's anybody flying that thing," Alex said timidly.

The Batplane came over to the edge of the platform, where it hovered, dipping down on one side and the cockpit canopy popping open.

"You two stay here," Batman said, as he dived off the platform and onto the wing of the Batplane. Once Batman got into the cockpit and sealed the canopy, the Batplane flew over the hanging cage, where a grappling hook shot out from underneath the plane's fuselage, grabbing the cage just as the steel cable finally snapped.

The turbine engines of the Batplane began to whine with the strain of the cage that swung underneath it as Batman fought to keep it under control.

Alex tapped Olivia's shoulder and pointed at the Penguin, who was slipping through a doorway just below the platform they stood on. "Look, he's getting away!"

"No he's not," Olivia said angrily, as she ran down the steps after the Penguin. When she saw that Alex followed her, she said, "Stay here!"

"The hell I am!" Alex shot back. "I'm not letting you out of my sight this time!"

Olivia groaned inwardly. She knew better than to argue with Alex whenever she made up her mind.

The doorway that the Penguin had ducked into turned out to be a maze of narrow passageways with twists and turns every few feet. Yet it wasn't hard to keep track of the Penguin, who grunted and groaned so loud as he ran it almost sounded like Olivia was giving chase to a water buffalo in heat.

The Penguin led the women to a small pier that overlooked another section of the canal. There was a powerboat moored to the dock, and the bow of the boat was shaped into the head of a penguin. This vessel was obviously for the Penguin's escape.

'This guy's really got it bad with the bird motif doesn't he?' Olivia thought. 'Huang would probably have a field day with him.'

The Penguin, not knowing Olivia and Alex were standing behind him, threw his umbrella into the boat ahead of him and began the arduous task of climbing into the powerboat.

"All right," Olivia told Alex. "Now."

She ran up to the boat and tackled the little man from behind. The Penguin began to screech and struggle, but Olivia was actually too big for him to put up much of a fight against.

'Now I know why this moron's got so much hired muscle,' Olivia realized, as she effortlessly pushed the Penguin down on the deck. 'Because when it comes to a stand up fight, he's a real wimp!'

When Alex came over to help, Olivia said, "Wait, get his umbrella from the boat."

Alex did a double take when she knelt down on the dock before the powerboat. "Which one? He's got about a dozen in here."

"Any one is fine," Olivia told her. When Alex handed her an umbrella, Olivia held it up and sarcastically said, "Gee, I wonder what this umbrella does? Does it shoot gas? Eject a knife? Or shoots acid?" She then shoved the tip of the umbrella right up against the Penguin's head and added, "Oh, wait, I know how to find out: I'll just press this little trigger back here and see what it does to your face!"

"Arrrr! No!" the Penguin cried, holding up his hands. "That's the machine gun umbrella! You'll shoot my head off!"

"I guess you'd better behave yourself then, or else I WILL blow your frigging head off," Olivia growled at him. "Now get up and start walking back inside with your hands up!"

Penguin glared at her, yet he obediently got to his feet and waddled back inside, his hands held up, with Olivia following close behind, aiming the umbrella at his back.

"You realize you've just made an arrest using an umbrella as a weapon?" Alex whispered into her ear.

"Well, this is Gotham City," Olivia said. "And you know the old saying, 'When in Rome…'"

"'...do as the Romans do,'" Alex said with a smile.

When they reentered the main loading area, Olivia was pleased to see the Batplane had managed to safely transport the cage filled with girls over to the solid concrete floor. Once the cage touched down safely, the Batplane released the grappling hook.

Just then the SWAT team of the Gotham City Police swarmed into the loading area, their guns drawn. Olivia had just handed over custody of the Penguin to one of the swat team members when she noticed something. Harvey Bullock was at the lead of one of the teams. He glared at the Batplane as it veered off and headed for the smashed windows.

"Damned Bat-freak!" Bullock shouted, as he pulled his gun out and fired at the Batplane.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Olivia screamed, as she raced towards Bullock. When she tackled him, it was like tackling a mountain. "DON'T SHOOT AT HIM, YOU FRIGGING IDIOT!"

"What the…Benson!" Bullock said, staring at her as if she were insane. "What's wrong with you?"

Olivia was relieved to see the Batplane fly safely through the smashed out windows and into the night sky. She pointed after the plane and said, "That man is a hero!"

"He's a vigilante freak!" Bullock said.

"And you're a flaming moron!" Olivia shouted right into his face.

Bullock simply smiled at her as he removed a police radio from his pocket. "The NYPD Princess is safe," he said smugly into the radio. "I say again: the NYPD Princess is safe and sound."

"Who are you calling a princess, you son of a—" Olivia growled, as she went to grab Bullock again.

Alex, who firmly grabbed her arm, stopped Olivia in her tracks. "Liv, take it easy. We're all on the same side here."

"So is the Batman," Olivia told her. "But nobody around here seems to realize that."

"You're saying he didn't kidnap you?" Bullock asked her.

"Of course not!" Olivia said. She smiled when Commissioner Gordon made his way through the crowd of SWAT team members and paramedics towards them. Detective Montoya was with him. "Commissioner, I'm glad to see you, sir."

"And I'm very glad to see you, Detective Benson," Gordon said, grinning. "Are you all right?"

Before Olivia could answer, Bullock said, "I think she's suffering from that Swedish Syndrome, Commish. Y'know, the one Patty Hearst had, where she bonded with her captors?"

"It's called Stockholm Syndrome," Alex corrected him. "And no, she doesn't have it. I can also testify that had it not been for the Batman's efforts, none of us would be standing here right now."

"Good to see you, as well, Nora," Gordon said, looking relieved.

"Thanks Jim," Alex said. "There are more of Penguin's men upstairs."

Montoya stood holding her police radio to her ear. "SWAT Team One and Two are up there now, moping up," she confirmed. "Commissioner, they've found several machine gun nests up there! The guns were primed and ready, aimed at the parking lots…at us! But the guns have been taken out of action, their crews all knocked out cold."

"The Batman took them out," Olivia told them. "Al—uh, Nora and I watched him take down one of the machine gun crew ourselves. The news has been saying that Batman kidnapped me, Commissioner—but it was actually the Penguin who abducted me! The Batman saved my life tonight. He saved all of our lives."

Gordon eyed her somberly for a second, and then he reached out and patted her shoulder. "Take it easy, Detective. Things will get sorted out in good time." He glanced back at something, and then added, "There are some people here who would like to see you."

When Olivia looked at where Gordon gestured, she saw Captain Cragen, Munch, Fin and Elliot standing there. Elliot came over to her and gave Olivia a tight hug. "You all right?" he asked, checking her over. "You're not hurt?"

"I'm fine, El," Olivia said. She smiled at Cragen, Munch and Fin, who all appeared just as anxious as Elliot. "It's been a helluva night, but I'm ok."

"Yeah, well, when I told you to go enjoy a night on the town I didn't think you'd take it this far!" Elliot jokingly said. "Jesus, Liv!"

That made Olivia burst into laughter. "Jeez, it's really great to see you guys again."

"You had us all very worried, Olivia," Cragen said. "We're glad to see that you're—"

Cragen ceased talking as he, Elliot, Munch and Fin all stared in disbelief at something over Olivia's shoulder.

Alex smiled shyly at them as she came up alongside Olivia. "Hey guys."

"Everybody, meet Nora Bradshaw," Olivia said, as she introduced Alex's undercover name.

"Nora, uh?" Elliot said, breaking into a smile. "Yeah, right. C'mere, Nora."

Alex let out a laugh as Elliot gave her a hug. Cragen also hugged her as well.

Munch grabbed Olivia's arm and frantically said, "You actually spent the night with the Batman!"

Olivia stared at him, flabbergasted. Several of the Gotham City police officers that stood around them paused to give Olivia strange looks.

Fin rolled his eyes in disgust. "John, man, you're making it sound like she slept with him!"

"Sorry, sorry, my bad," Munch said quickly. "But I overheard you saying that he saved your life, is that true?"

"Yes, Munch, it is," Olivia said patiently. "And he's not a vampire, nor is he an escapee from Area 51, or anything like that. Batman's not a threat to anybody. He's a force for good."

"He is indeed a force for good," Alex concurred. "But I still wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley."

"Arrrrr! Arrrrr!" the Penguin growled, as he was cuffed by two Gotham City police officers. The Penguin's body was so wide that his wrists were secured by two pairs of handcuffs. He angrily glared at Olivia and Alex as he was being led away.

"Now he looks like he's an escapee from Area 51," Fin said, as he stared after the Penguin with wide eyes.

"Detective Benson," Gordon said, as he came over to them. "The paramedics are taking the women to the hospital. They would like you and Nora to join them."

"I'm fine," Olivia told him. "I don't need any medical attention."

"I don't need a check up, either," Alex said, "but I'll ride with them to the hospital, anyway."

"Good," Gordon said. "Because several of the women have been asking for you. Your presence will help keep them calm."

"As long as I have you, Liv," Munch said, "you can answer some questions for me about the Batman. Now I heard a theory that he is actually part of a prototype program to test military weapons for use in law enforcement--which, in essence, makes the Batman a part of the military-industrial conspiracy to supress the common people. What do you think about...hey, Liv?"

Olivia abruptly threw her hands in his face and chased after Alex and Gordon. "You know what? I think I will take a ride to the hospital with you after all!"

"You just can't give it a rest, can you, John?" Fin said in annoyance.

"Oh yeah, right!" Munch cried. "It's my fault again, right? Well, is it my fault that nobody wants to hear the truth!"

**B&B**

Olivia awoke with a start.

She quickly glanced around her bedroom, and was fearfully startled when she saw that it wasn't her apartment--then Olivia relaxed when she realized that she was still in her hotel room in Gotham City.

Alex was curled up in bed next to her, sound asleep. 'Was it Alex who woke me?' Olivia wondered. 'It's been a while since I've slept in the same bed with anyone.'

But her cop instinct was fairly ringing with anxiety. There was something wrong, something out of place. And because of this instinct, which she trusted with her life, Olivia found that she couldn't get back to sleep. She quickly slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb the still-sleeping Alex. Barefoot, she was clad only in her pajamas, which consisted of an extra-large dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Olivia removed her Glock from its holster and gave the hotel suite a quick sweep. There was nothing out of place that she could see. The door was locked, as were the windows.

When she walked past the glass sliding door that led out to the patio, Olivia paused.

'Might as well be thorough,' Olivia thought, as she opened the sliding door and stepped out onto the patio. The night was cool, but still not uncomfortable for Olivia in her scant outfit. She quickly gazed around, keeping the Glock handy, until she glanced up at the row of stone gargoyles along the top of the roof.

One of the gargoyles stood up and regarded her silently.

Olivia burst into a broad smile. "Hey," she said, lowering the gun. "I didn't think I would see you again."

The Batman leapt from the roof and deftly landed on the concrete floor in front of her. "I have something to give you," he said, holding out a tube filled with liquid. "It's the antidote for the Scarecrow's toxin. You can give this to the doctors at Arkham Asylum tomorrow. It will cure Annabelle Justino of her affliction."

"That's great," Olivia said, as she accepted the antidote. "Thanks. And I mean that: thanks for everything."

"I owe you a lot as well," Batman said. "You were a major part of the success in this case, Detective Benson."

"My friends call me Olivia," she said. "And my really close friends, like you, call me Liv."

"'Liv' it is, then," Batman said with a slight smile. "I understand that Nora Bradshaw has decided to stay in Gotham City."

Olivia's smiled faded at that. "Yeah, even though the Marshalls wanted her to move to a new location, she refused. Al--uh, Nora...oh, never mind! Her real name is Alex Cabot. Alex says she's tired of running, and that she's got a lot of work to do here in Gotham City."

"Gotham City could really use her," Batman said.

"I agree," Olivia said with a solemn nod. "But the problem is she's now no longer in the Witness Protection Program. Because she wouldn't move, the Marshalls kicked her out. I'll be coming down every weekend and whenever else I can to see her, but other than me, she really no longer has any protection."

"Yes, she does," Batman said. "She's has me."

"There are some heavy hitters involved," Olivia warned. "Alex used to be an ADA in New York City. She's got assassins hired by drug dealers after her."

"Let them try," Batman said in a dark whisper, "and I'll make them regret the day they were born. She'll be safe here, Liv. You have my word on that."

After seeing this man in action, Olivia could well believe he could back up his pledge. "I couldn't ask for a better protector, thank you," she said, touched. "Now that the case is over, are you taking a night off? You earned it."

"There's no rest for the wicked," Batman replied. "Turns out there's a new player in town. A cat burglar with some extraordinary skills. She just pulled her first heist last night."

"She?" Olivia said, fascinated. "It's a woman?"

Batman nodded, as he produced a black and white surveilance video photo of a woman in a skin-tight outfit. She wore a mask with cat-like ears and was laughing wildly as she swirled a bullwhip over her head. Two terrified security guards cowered from her under a table.

"What's she supposed to be, a catwoman?" Olivia asked, shaking her head, as she handed the photo back to him. "It never ends, does it? Just when you're still reeling from your last case, another perp pops up. It's relentless! I'm surprised we haven't gone insane from this constant, endless battle by now."

"But that's just it," Batman said. "Fighting the insanity is what keeps us sane."

When Olivia thought about it, she nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense."

He glanced sharply at something behind her and added, "We're not alone."

Olivia glanced back to see Alex standing timidly by the sliding glass doors. "It's all right," Olivia said. "He's just--"

Yet once she turned to gesture to the Batman, Olivia saw he was already gone.

'Damn, he's so good it's creepy,' Olivia thought.

Alex walked onto the patio with her arms folded across her chest. Like Olivia, she was also barefoot and clad only in an extra-size shirt. "You sure have weird friends Liv."

"Don't knock him," Olivia said, as she gently gave Alex a kiss, "because that weird friend of mine is your new bodyguard."

**B&B**

Annabelle Justino blinked her eyes as she focused on the group of people who surrounded her hospital bed. She looked for all the world like somebody who had just woken up from a deep sleep.

"What the hell is going on?" she fearfully asked, as she glanced down and saw the medical restraints on her arms and legs. "Where am I? Why am I tied up?"

"You're at Arkham Asylum," Dr. Solanna gently replied. "And there's no longer any reason to keep you restrained, dear. Gentlemen?"

Olivia smiled as two orderlies went over to the bed and removed the restraints from Annabelle's wrists and ankles. She was pleased to see the antidote worked; Annabelle looked more alert and lucid--if a little confused, which was understandable, given her circumstances.

Elliot gave her an approving nod. "Score another one for your buddy Bats," he whispered. "You were right Liv, the guy does know his stuff."

"Annabelle, do you remember anything that happened over the last week?" Dr. Quinn asked. She was a younger woman with bright blond hair and blue eyes who helped Solanna administer the antidote to Annabelle.

"No, I-I have no idea!" Annabelle said. "The last thing I remember was answering the door at my mom's house and this weird little man shooting some kind of gas into my face! I think he used an umbrella!"

"It's all right," Dr. Solanna soothed her. "You were poisoned, which led to you having a prolonged psychotic episode. But it's all over, now." She turned to Olivia, Elliot, Montoya and Bullock and added, "I'm afraid it will be some time before you can ask her any questions. Annabelle needs to rest, now."

"No problem," Montoya said, as they all moved into the hallway. "We'll visit again."

When Dr. Quinn joined them, Solanna said, "Thanks again for all the help, Harley."

"Glad to be of service, Bea," Dr. Quinn said. "And now if you'll all excuse me, I have another patient to visit."

"I'm afraid the Joker is going to be a far bigger challenge for you," Solanna warned.

Dr. Quinn smiled broadly at her. "The bigger the challenge, the better!"

"Who's the Joker?" Olivia asked, after Quinn left.

"Remember that wacked out goon in the wheelchair during your last visit?" Montoya said. "The one with the green hair? That's the Joker."

Olivia felt goose bumps sprouting up all over her skin at just the mere memory of that psychopath. "She's treating that madman! I wish her all the luck in the world, 'cause she's gonna need it!"

"That young woman is one of the most dedicated professionals I've ever had the pleasure of working with," Solanna firmly said. "If anybody can help the Joker, Harley can. Remember the name, Harley Quinn, because I have a strong feeling that one day she'll be very famous."

Once outside, while they were on their way back to the car in the parking lot, Bullock came to an abrupt halt. He stared at Olivia and said, "I've got something I been meaning to say to you, Benson."

'Here it is,' Olivia thought, bracing herself for an argument. They had hardly spoken to each other since yesterday, when Olivia tackled him after he shot at the Batman's plane. And she could tell that it had been eating at him ever since.

"What's your problem, Bullock?" Elliot said, as he stepped in-between them. "Maybe you'd like to clear the air with me instead, huh?"

"It's all right, Elliot," Olivia said. "Let him say whatever he wants."

"I just wanna say that when you attacked me like that yesterday, you were acting like a loose cannon, Benson," Bullock said. "You were letting your gut feelings get in the way of the rules and regs of the Job."

And then Bullock surprised Olivia by breaking into a broad grin. "I really liked that," he continued. "What I just wanna say is, I was wrong about you. You're all right, Benson...for an NYPD Princess."

With that, Bullock turned on his heel and strode to the car. Elliot stared after him, puzzled, while Montoya looked just as shocked as Olivia did.

"Wow! He really likes you, Olivia," Montoya said, sounding genuinely impressed. "Welcome to the club."

"Be still my heart," Olivia said sardonically, as they resumed their walk to the car.

**B&B**

"We believe that Oswald Cobblepott, AKA The Penguin, gassed Annabelle Justino as a means of getting her off the streets," Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent said, as he stood at the podium. Before him in the Gotham City Police Headquarters press room was a massive audience of members of the media, who paid close attention to every word. "When Ms. Justino fled New York City, she became a liability to her former boss, Mr. Neufeld, who wanted her dead. By shooting her with the toxin, the Penguin insured that she would be out of harm's way in Arkham Asylam, until the proper time when he could use her as leverage against Neufeld." He pointed at a reporter who raised his hand. "Yes?"

"Mike Kempt, Central City Sun," the reporter said. "Is Mr. Neufeld still at large?"

"No," Dent replied. "I'm pleased to report that Scotland Yard picked Neufeld up in London early this morning. He's being brought back to New York City the day after tomorrow. Next question?"

Olivia stood behind Dent in the crowd of people who were involved in this case. Gordon stood next to her, as well as Bullock and Montoya and ADA Rachel Dawes, who would be handling the prosecution of the Penguin for the Gotham City DA's office. Olivia had met Dawes earlier, when they went over the general case, and she outlined how Olivia would be needed for the prosecution. Dawes struck Olivia as being an extremely competent young woman. It was going to be a pleasure working with her.

As Dent continued to answer more questions, Olivia's eyes focused on one woman in the crowd of reporters. It was Summer Gleason, the TV newscaster who had reported the Batman had abducted Olivia. If looks could kill, then the steady glare that Olivia gave Gleason would have decapitated the reporter. Earlier, Gleason had asked Olivia what it was like being the helpless captive of the Batman. Olivia had passionately defended the Batman, playing up the fact that he was largely responsible for the successful outcome of this case. After listening to Olivia, Gleason then asked, "That's nice. But is it true that the Batman sleeps up-side down?"

In the riotous laughter that followed, Dent brushed Olivia aside and had taken control of the news briefing while Olivia fumed on the sidelines. Regardless of the sacrifices that Bruce Wayne had made in defending his city, that very same city continued to have a pretty low opinion of his alter-ego, the Batman. People either feared him, didn't understand him, or didn't even believe he existed. And considering that Wayne put his life on the line every single night, he deserved much more than that. If there was only some way that Olivia could get the podium back from Dent, she could at least hammer home the point that the Batman was one of the good guys.

Just then, a striking brunette stood up among the reporters and raised her hand.

Dent pointed to her. "Yes?"

"Lois Lane, Metropolis Daily Planet," she said, by way of introduction. "And my question is for Detective Benson."

'Oh yeah!' Olivia thought in triumph as she ran over to the podium. "Yes, Ms. Lane?"

"Detective Benson, your earlier comments seem to indicate that you think the Batman isn't quite the menace that some people have made him out to be," Lane said. "Would you care to elaborate?"

"Yes, I really would," Olivia said. "The Batman saved my life. When I was a captive of the Penguin, he had ordered me to be killed right on the spot, and had the Batman not intervened...well, I wouldn't be here right now."

"But wouldn't you, as a police officer, consider the Batman to be nothing more than a vigilante?" Lane asked.

"I admit that his tactics are very unorthodox," Olivia said. "But he gets the job done. And I think that, along with the Gotham City Police, Batman's contributions can be a tremendous asset to the safety of this city."

Lane nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Detective Benson."

'Thank you, Ms. Lane!' Olivia joyfully thought. 'Thank you, thank you, thank you!'

Pleased that she finally had her say, and hopefully set the record straight, Olivia happily waited on the sidelines of the press conference until it was finally over. Everybody scattered before Olivia had a chance to say goodbye. Although she would be staying in Gotham City for another day, she would not be on police business, and therefore wouldn't see everybody here until her next visit. She quickly bid goodbye to Rachel, and even to Bullock, who grumbled something to her about making sure she "stay outa trouble!"

When she saw Montoya walking down an hallway, Olivia ran after her. She caught up with Montoya just as she was getting into an elevator and they exchanged their goodbyes. "Have you seen Commisioner Gordon?" Olivia asked her. "I wanted to say goodbye to him before I left."

"He's up on the roof," Montoya said with a slight smile. "He says he goes up there to get some fresh air."

"Oh," Olivia said, as she felt her heart sink with disappointment. "I won't bother him, then."

"Actually, Liv, you should," Montoya told her. "Everybody thinks the real reason he's up there is to sneak a smoke, anyway. So, by all means, feel free to disturb him!"

As she rode up in the elevator to the roof, Olivia smiled when she recalled Gordon telling her he quit smoking. She guessed the nicotine habit was hard for him to break. 'Well, I should actually be doing him a favor by walking in on him, then,' she thought.

Once she reached the roof, she had some trouble finding Gordon at first. But then Olivia saw him as she came around the corner of an air conditioning unit. Thankfully, Gordon wasn't smoking--yet it appeared as if he was speaking to somebody, a person who remained hidden behind the AC unit.

Olivia came out from behind the unit and was so stunned at the sight she saw that her mouth dropped opened in shock.

Gordon was speaking to the Batman.

It appeared to be a casual conversation, as if these two men were old friends. Olivia stood gaping at the two of them until the Batman took notice of her. Gordon, whose back was turned to Olivia, spun around and gave her a knowing smile. Once he turned away, the Batman flung his cape wide and dove off the ledge of the building, all without making a sound.

Olivia slowly walked up to Gordon, still too stunned for words.

Gordon gestured at the Batman, then did a double take when he realized he now pointed at empty space. "Hmmph...hate it when he does that."

"You...you're working with him," Olivia said with a mixture of amazment and awe.

Gordon chuckled. "It should come as no surprise to you, detective. When we first met, I told you that I had a knack for knowing who to trust. And that I kept those whom I trusted close to me. Batman is one of those people. And you're another extremely trustworthy person as well. I'm very impressed with your handling of this case...so much so that I'm considering starting a Special Victims Unit within the Gotham City Police, and I would like for you to be involved."

Just when Olivia didn't think she could be anymore stunned than she already was, what Gordon just said nearly knocked her flat on her back. "You want me to join the Gotham City SVU?"

"No," Gordon said. "I want you to create it for me. And then I want you to run it for me as its commander. So, what do you say, Olivia?"

Olivia could only helplessly stare at him, dazed, as she once again found herself at a complete loss for words.

**B&B**

"Here's to us," Alex said, as she raised her glass of wine in a toast.

Olivia smiled as she raised her own glass. "To us."

After she took a sip, Olivia glanced around Romero's, the swanky Italian restuarant they were in. Located at the top of one of the tallest buildings in Gotham City, it offered a breath-taking panoramic view of the city. Olivia glanced up and saw a plane flying in the night sky, it's running lights reminding her of a moment from their past. "Oh, Alex, look! A UFO! Let's make a wish!"

Alex stared at her, dumbfounded, for a second. Then she dismally shook her head. "Oh God, Liv, I was very drunk that night. But you're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"

"Um, no," Olivia replied with a grin. "Have you made your wish, yet?"

"Yes," Alex said, growing serious. "My wish is that we never get separated again."

Olivia reached out across the table and firmly grabbed Alex's hand. "That's my wish, too, sweetie. Never again shall we be separated."

"Hope I'm not intruding," a male voice said.

Olivia looked up to see Bruce Wayne standing over their table. Dressed in a dapper black suit, he appeared to have finally decided to take a night off from being Batman. "Excuse the intrusion, but I was just on my way out when I saw you seated here, Nora."

"Bruce!" Alex said, standing up and shaking his hand. "It's good to see you. Liv, this is Bruce Wayne. He's the one I told you about earlier. He's made a very generous donation to the Southside Women's Shelter. Bruce, this is my life partner, Olivia Benson."

"How do you do?" Olivia said, pretending to be meeting Wayne for the first time.

Wayne was just as smooth. "A pleasure to meet you, Olivia. Nora's told me a lot about you."

"I only told him the good stuff, don't worry," Alex jokingly said.

Olivia felt like a fifth wheel when Bruce and Alex started talking about the details of his donation, and the fix-up projects that the money would be used for at the shelter. However, she burst into a broad smile when she saw someone familiar standing by the door. "Excuse, me," she told Alex and Bruce, "I'll be right back."

Alfred Pennyworth gave her a warm smile as Olivia walked up to him. "Hello Alfred."

"Good evening, Olivia," he said. "And how are you?"

"I'm great, thanks. You?"

"Although I find myself becoming rather busy, thanks to the approaching holiday season, I am quite well," Alfred said. "Speaking of the holidays, do you have any plans?"

"No, not really," Olivia said.

Alfred nodded. "You do now. You are invited to come spend Christmas with us at Wayne Manor. And you are most welcome to bring 'Nora' with you."

Olivia was deeply touched. "Oh, Alfred, thank you."

"I take it that's a 'yes'?" Alfred asked with a sly smile.

"Yes, of course it is. We would love to come."

Alfred leaned towards her and whispered, "Master Bruce tells me that you turned down Commisioner Gordon's offer."

"Yeah, I did," Olivia answered. "It was a very nice gesture on his part, and I appreciated it, but it didn't feel right for me. I'll still be a consultant on the side for him, though. I'll be advising him in creating the Gotham PD SVU. But I'm still with the NYPD."

"You can no more leave the NYPD than Master Bruce can cease his nocturnal activities," Alfred told her. "The world needs you right where you are, Olivia."

'Oh Jesus, what a sweetheart,' Olivia thought, deeply touched by what he said. "You know what, Alfred? There's something I've been wanting to do since I first met you."

She gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, which made him blush. "Oh my! Had I known that would be your reaction, I would have invited you to the Manor much sooner!"

They were both startled when the crowd in Romero's all let out a loud gasp at the same time. Everyone gazed out the south windows, including Alex and Bruce. Olivia noticed that there was something going on in the night sky, and when she and Alfred came up beside Alex, Olivia also let out a gasp at what she saw outside.

It was a huge spotlight that stabbed across the night sky, projecting the image of a massive black bat onto the clouds above.

"Looks like the Batman's needed again," Bruce said, as he stared hard at the bat-signal. He made a furtive glance around him, and Olivia realized that he was trying to figure out how to make a graceful exit so he could answer the call.

Yet Alfred came to the rescue. "Oh, sir, I do apologize, but it appears you have a rather urgent phone call from Mr. Fox. He said it was about the Stromberg deal?"

Bruce put on a good act of being annoyed. "Damn, that's in trouble again? Sorry ladies, but as you know, business before pleasure."

"Oh, what a shame," Alex said sadly. "I was just about to invite you to join us."

"I'll gladly take a raincheck. Did you invite them to the manor, Alfred?"

"Yes, sir. Olivia has accepted."

"Excellent. We'll see you two for Christmas, then," Bruce said.

"Oh, that's great!" Alex said excitedly. "Thanks, Bruce!"

"Not at all," Bruce replied, as he turned to leave with Alfred. "Take care, Nora, Olivia."

As he walked past Olivia, she said, in the faintest of whispers: "Be safe."

"You too, Liv," he whispered back, without breaking his stride.

"Imagine that, Christmas at Wayne Manor!" Alex said, as she and Olivia sat back down. "That sounds exciting."

'Not as half as exciting as what's underneath Wayne Manor,' Olivia thought, recalling her visit to the Batcave. She gazed out at the bat-signal and wondered who the Batman was squaring off against tonight. Whoever his opponent was this time, Olivia knew that he or she had as much chance as a snowball in hell going up against the Dark Knight.

"It looks strangely pretty," Alex said, as she stared at the bat-signal. "Like something out of a dream."

"If this moment is a dream," Olivia said, taking her hand, "then I don't ever want it to end."

They both sat there, contently holding hands, as they watched the bat-signal slowly unfurl across the clouds in the night time skies.

**The End**

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan and writer David Goyer for recreating a marvelous new vision of the Dark Knight. And the Batman Begins soundtrack, by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, is great music to write a Batman story to. Listening to the opening strains of music put me right on the shadowy streets of Gotham City. I highly recommend this soundtrack.

I would also like to thank Mariska Hargitay, for giving me the idea for this story. No, I don't know Mariska personally. I bought the second season DVD of Law & Order: SVU, and watched an entertaining interview that Mariska gave, where she spoke of how different Olivia Benson is from her previous acting roles. At one point in the interview, she actually referred to Olivia as being a superhero. Having just seen Batman Begins on DVD at that time, I had Batman on the brain, and when Mariska made reference to Olivia as a superhero, my first thought was: she should team up with Batman. I had the title--Batman & Benson--running around in my head for a week before I finally gave in and wrote the story. I can't imagine she would ever have the time in her busy schedule to read this, but I just wanted to say, for the record, thanks for the inspiration, Mariska. :)


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